The St. Joseph Settlement, also called the German Settlement, is a historic area of beautiful farms located near the Ohio River on the border of Marshall and Wetzel counties. The people who live here are descendants of German Catholic immigrants who moved to America in the 1850s. These families came from southern German states like Bavaria and Hesse.

These German immigrants chose to leave their homes for a fresh start in America because of problems they faced in Germany. They were against the absolute power of King Frederick William IV, wanted to escape compulsory military conscription (being forced to join the military), and were looking for land because the prices for farmland were too high back home.

The people of the St. Joseph Settlement strongly valued their religion and education. The first record of their religious group was on June 5, 1853. By September 1853, land was officially given to the Bishop of Wheeling to be held in trust for the German Roman Catholic congregation. Today, the church, schoolhouse (now a museum), rectory, community building, and cemetery still form the center of the St. Joseph community.

The first school was built from logs in 1854. It was used as both a school and a chapel until 1856, when the first church was finally built. Because education was so important, priests and nuns have played a major role in the settlement throughout its history.