When the rings of the ash tree that eventually became St. Paul-on-the-Island were counted after it was cut, it seemed fairly clear that it was more than a sapling at the time the sounds of the battle of Lake Erie passed over the island. We can wonder whether or not Commodore Perry’s sailors walked near that tree as they found their way to Perry’s cave.
Jose de Rivera became the owner of the island in the 1840s and started selling off acres of land at $40 per acre. The trees were cut down to make way for the vineyards, but the ash tree was spared, because Jay Cook purchased the corner lot to build a church and rectory. Note it wasn’t really a “corner lot” at the time. The road that goes to Bay Lodging now was not wide enough for anything more than a small horse cart when the lot was purchased. Records show that the lot was purchased for the consideration of $10 for a three-quarter acre space so Jake got a bargain.
The small ash tree continued to grow along the back edge of the property, providing shade to the families living in the rectory. One family had several children who were known to sit on the roof at night and watch the stars, and during the daytime the ash tree provided lots of shade for them. 100 years later, the rectory, which was not built nearly as well as the church, needed to be replaced. Still, the ash tree survived next to a fence that had been erected on the back edge of the lot.
In 2002 the Emerald Ashborer was identified in Michigan. This invasive insect species killed all the ash trees as it spread across the US. The insect arrived on Put-in Bay around 2012 and within two years, the damage was visible.
When the tree behind the rectory died from the invasive insect in 2014, Mother Mary Staley was living in the house. When the tree trimmers came to cut it down, she asked them to leave the trunk of the tree intact, which they did. She contacted one of the people who was doing wood carvings on the island at the time and asked him to carve Saint Paul into that trunk.
St. Paul is depicted carrying a book, the symbol of his written ministry, and a sword, depicting how died outside the gates of the City of Rome in ca. 65 AD. The carving as you see it, was as far as the sculptor got before he died of a heart attack at way too young an age.
When the church had some other trees trimmed that were potentially leaning over the rectory, Mother Mary asked them to cut off Saint Paul from the stump and move it over to the cement pad, which is really the cover for the original well that supplied the rectory. Saint Paul sat there until he was moved to the head of the labyrinth in August of 2024. Bishop Anne Jolly, The Bishop of Ohio, formally blessed and dedicated St. Paul-on-the-Island on August 25, 2024 during her formal visitation
St. Paul’s is grateful to Mo. Staley for originally commissioning this statue, for artist J.J. Link who was the sculptor, and for Joe Scarpelli of South Bass Island who installed the statue in its current location.
We invite you to come to South Bass Island to pray at the Shrine, to walk the Labyrinth, and to visit our church. May your visit with us be blessed, peaceful, and fruitful.
