Father Joseph Martin Trapp

Father Joseph Martin Trapp was the resident pastor of the St. Peters Catholic Church in North Ridgeville from June of 1906 until November 1920. He was born on November 10, 1880, in Cleveland Ohio. His father was Frank X Trapp, mother, Barbara Weiderman. Both his parents were born in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. They immigrated to the United States in 1867 and settled in Cleveland. Frank worked as a dyer. He was prominent in the work of St. Michael’s parish in Cleveland. Besides Joseph, they had two other boys, Frank Xavier Jr., and John Stanislaus.

Father Trapp was educated at St. Michael’s parochial school, after which he entered St Ignatius College, from which he graduated in 1906. He then took his theological course at St Mary’s Seminary in Cleveland. On June 9, 1906, he was ordained priest and celebrated his first mass at St. Michael,s church of Cleveland on June 17, 1906. On July 7. 1906 he was appointed assistant priest at St. Stephen’s church. He was one of the youngest priests of the city at that time.

In June of 1909, he was moved to St. Peter’s Church to succeed Father Stuber and become the resident pastor. On June 21st. he worked with Father Stuber to purchased the sixteen acres Junchem farm property on Center Ridge. With the acquisition of the property there commenced a new era of activity, The parish found itself in a condition where it had to build, not only a parsonage and school but also a church. Between 1910 and 1911 they built a new school and refurbished the old Juchem farmhouse for the new parsonage. They also sold two lots south of the church on Route 83.

On January 15th, 1914, Thursday morning at 9:30, a disastrous fire entirely destroyed the church. Father Trapp returned home that afternoon after attending his brother Frank’s funeral in Cleveland to find the church destroyed. In April of that year, the church council set out to plan for a new church. Because the cost of wages and materials soared due to the war, the building of the new church was postponed. In 1922 the bishop gave permission to build the church. This was past the time that Father Trapp was at St. Peters.

In November of 1920 Father Trapp was reassigned to Trinity Church in Cleveland. He served there for two decades (1920-1940) and oversaw the erection of a new school building in 1924 that included a two-year commercial high school.

On May 15, 1929, the main building of the Cleveland Clinic caught fire. The fire began when an exposed light bulb was too close to some nitro-cellulose x-ray film, igniting the film. In the end, 123 people lost their lives. Father Trapp went to the building, probably to give last rights to those who were dying, and was overcome by the fumes. He was hospitalized for some time with damage to his lungs that he never fully recovered from. Two others that assisted him died within 24 hours.

The title of Monsignor was conferred on him in June 1938. On December 12, 1940, the Reverend Monsignor Joseph Trapp was appointed to lead the growing parish of St. Boniface and served there until he died less than two years later, on October 6, 1942.

Father Trapp was an avid photographer. He took many photos of Ridgeville while he was here. After his death, the historical society was given 57 photographs taken by Father Trapp from 1909 to 1920. These were donated to the Society by Gertrude Worcester a relative here in North Ridgeville. Some of the pictures we use on our web site are his. We have them all on display at the museum.