Author Talk - Historic Churches of Ashtabula County

Sandy Mitchell Pavick talks about her new book Historic Churches of Ashtabula County.

Ashtabula County's first churches were Congregationalist, Methodist, and Presbyterian, followed closely by the Episcopalians, Baptists, and Roman Catholics. Led by itinerant preachers and circuit riders, early county churches were social centers, resources for new residents as well as places to worship. Ashtabula County churches here were also a part of several efforts to effect social change, including the abolitionist movement, the Underground Railroad, and the suffragette movement. These houses of worship are also the home of beautiful stained-glass windows, some by Tiffany Studios; hand-hewn wooden pews; and original artwork by talented clergy and parishioners. The many congregations that survive continue to make a difference in their communities. "Historic Churches of Ashtabula" explores more than 100 area churches, ones that survive, ones that have closed but have left their mark on the county, and those that have been creatively repurposed as retail establishments, wineries, and museums.

Sandy Pavick has lived in northeast Ohio for more than 25 years and is active in the Ashtabula County church community. She is a full-time writer and has penned two previous titles for Arcadia Publishing. For this book, Pavick has amassed images, many of which have never been published, from dozens of church archives as well as from private collections and Ashtabula County libraries, museums, and historical societies, including the Ashtabula County District Library archives.