Trading old traditions for new
Jan. 13—GREENSBURG — The former St. Mary's Church building on S. East Street, empty since 2011 when a new church opened southeast of Greensburg, is being remodeled by Gen Five, LLC, an Indianapolis-based developer. Gen Five, LLC is Decatur County's own Emily Oesterling Manship, along with her husband, Evan Manship.
The Manships live in the Eagle Creek area, and call their corporation "Gen Five, LLC," because their daughter represents five generations of Oesterlings who have been part of the St. Mary's Catholic Church community in Decatur County for five generations.
Evan is a developer in the Indianapolis area, and Emily, a nurse by trade, works in medical research and travels extensively.
To say that the young couple is busy is an understatement. Emily travels three days of the week for her medical job, spending her other days working from home, being with her daughter, or working on the family project she and Evan simply call "the church."
Remodeling that church building into a new vision is quite a project, even for the sturdiest of folk. What they have in mind is a modern wedding and special events venue, something people from near and far will want to make use of.
The history of St. Mary's Church is the story of one of the oldest and largest religious communities in Decatur County, and its architecture represents a time when many Catholic settlers first moved to this area.
Lots 113 and 114 of block 16 of the original plat of Greensburg were purchased for $4,000 from Edward Kessing and a small church was built on the property in 1858. The church was a very small building without any of the architectural frills it sports now.
In 1872, a larger church with the current footprint was built in the same spot. The cornerstone of the building was a slab of sandstone from the St. Paul quarry and the foundation was substantial, the waterline stone being several inches thick. That year, as the interior of the church was finished, ground was purchased adjacent to the church for St. Mary's Cemetery. A tin box, designed specifically for such uses, was filled with news articles concerning the affairs of the day, and a palm frond, a symbol of Jesus Christ's victory over death, was placed in the cornerstone when construction began.
In 1876, a small schoolhouse was built next to the church. That schoolhouse was later used as the Knights of St. John's Hall until it was torn down and replaced with a much larger school building in 1955.
In 1979, the interior of the church received a much needed facelift, replacing the high altar. In the same move, the statues were reconditioned, a new baptismal font was installed and new restrooms were added. New carpeting was installed and the three altars in the church were replaced with one in the center of the front of the church.
In 1983, the bells in the 200 foot tall steeple were restored and electrified.
In 1992, central air was installed in the church and the south entrance was constructed.
In 2006, land was donated to the church for the construction of a new church southeast of town on U.S. 421, and in 2011 the first service was held in the newly finished church, which included construction of a new kindergarten, elementary and middle school.
The Manship's project represents a huge undertaking, and they plan to have their first wedding in the new space in August of this year.
"This is not something, if you'd asked me 30 years ago, I would have said I would be doing. I have always wanted to be a nurse, but I love that church, and it's a wonderful thing to be working in a space you love," Emily said.
Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-651-0876 or email bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com
