One of earliest settlements by European immigrants in what is now the St. Marys Deanery of the Cincinnati Archdiocese was Stallotown, now called Minster. This was in 1832, before the Miami-Erie Canal reached that far north. After the canal was opened there was a large influx of settlers coming up the canal from Cincinnati. Some of these settlers took up land west of Minster. One of the earliest, Herman Henry Kruse in 1835 while looking at his swamp land and declared, This place was formed by a dab of mud that fell from the wheelbarrow of God when he made the world. It should therefore, be called Egypt. His neighbors agreed and so it was.
  The catholic people of Egypt attended services at Minster, but they wanted their own place of worship due to the difficulties in traveling. Three men approached the Archbishop and on August 14, 1852, permission was granted for St. Joseph Parish, Egypt. A frame church was built east of the present cemetery. From 1852 to 1856 the parish was served by priests from Minster and Maria Stein. After 1856 there were resident pastors. In 1857 there were 40 families in the growing parish. By 1877, it was obvious a larger church was needed. The brick church was to be built on the land donated by Johann Albert Osterloh. The church was dedicated on the last Sunday of December, 1878. A parish rectory was built directly north of the church in 1942.
  By 1922 the church needed repairs. The complete remodeling was done in 1927. Stained glass windows were added in 1939. St. Joseph shares a pastor with St. Augustine, Minster. Today, the parish numbers about 60 families.