Holy Assumption Orthodox Church Ohio History Marker Dedication
A dedication ceremony for a new Ohio History marker commemorating Holy Assumption will be held in Lakeside Marblehead, OH. The unveiling will begin at 2:30 p.m. on August 20, 2022 at Holy Assumption Orthodox Church.
Side A:
HOLY ASSUMPTION ORTHODOX CHURCH
Established in 1898 as the Russian Orthodox Church of the Dormition, Holy Assumption was
founded by Carpatho-Russian immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Constructed in
1905-1906, it is considered to be the oldest Orthodox church building in Ohio. Archbishop
Tikhon, head of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America, consecrated the church and
celebrated the first Liturgy. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia personally donated the four icons on the
iconostas, or icon screen, as well as liturgical items. Both the Tsar and, by then Patriarch, Tikhon
were murdered by the Bolsheviks during the 1917 Russian Revolution and were glorified as
Saints of the Orthodox Church. Holy Assumption Orthodox Church continues to be a beacon of
the Orthodox Faith on the Marblehead peninsula.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION
HOLY ASSUMPTION ORTHDOX CHURCH
OTTAWA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
THE OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION
2022
Side B:
IMMIGRANTS OF OTTAWA COUNTY
Ottawa County’s development between 1820-1920 was dependent on the
labor of new immigrants who brought their religious and cultural practices
with them to Ohio. By 1870, one in four county residents were foreign-born.
The quarries in eastern Ottawa County were worked by Carpatho-Russians,
Slovaks, Poles, and Irish. In western Ottawa County, the farms, lumber mills,
and orchards were worked by Germans. Port Clinton’s St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church,
organized in 1875, was founded by these German immigrants. Putting down roots, these new
Ohioans’ built churches that continue to shape the modern landscape and established a richly
diverse local culture that defines Ottawa County.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION
HOLY ASSUMPTION ORTHODOX CHURCH
OTTAWA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
THE OHIO HISTORY CONNECTION
2022