Beulah Wiley Franks |
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Beulah Wiley Franks |
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Early Grant County Church History
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first primitive Baptist preacher who ever preached the word in the county
was Jarrard Riley who was here as preacher in 1819. The first itinerant Methodist
preacher was Jesse Robinson who lived on Fork Lick and Crooked Creek. He
traveled over the county and preached in private houses. Christian Tomlin,
the father of Asa Tomlin, first proclaimed the doctrines of the Missionary
Baptist Church. Barton Stone was the first minister of the Christian Church
to preach in the county. He was here preaching in
1827.
One of the earliest church organizations perfected in Grant County was the Church of Christ, in an early day called "New Lights," or "Campbellites," and later Reformers, and Christians, but in this later day the Church of Christ. Mount Olivett Christian Church was organized in October 1870, at the residence of G. W. Simpson by Rev. W. K. Azbill. The church house was built in 1871 and dedicated by Rev. Zack Carter. The present pastor is Merritt Owen and the member ship is 101. The Sunday School Superintendent is A. Pfanstiel. Dry Ridge Christian Church was organized December 11, 1897 by Rev. G. W. Mills. The present pastor is Walter A. Bucannon and the membership is 100. The Sunday School Superintendent is C. E. Prather and number of scholars enrolled is 55. Crittenden Christian Church was organized in 1835 by Larkin Brown, Alonzo Kizer and others. L. Fenley is now the senior member of this church and the present pastor is Joseph Armstead of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The membership is 65 and Sunday School Superintendent if John C. Linder, with an attendance of 40. Fairview Christian Church has a membership of 65 and Rev. J. H. Limmerick is the pastor. Corinth Christian Church has a membership of 230, Rev. T. J. Golightly is the pastor. Elizabeth Christian Church is located at Stringtown and was organized July 19, 1849 by Cyrus Williams. The first officers elected were C. P. Wheat, Leonard Baker, J. T. Oder, and James B. Dunaway elders, and Abraham Dunn, John Mozee, and John Coulston deacons, all of whom are now dead. The present pastor is Rev. Hawkins. The membership is 317. The Sunday School Superintendent is P. N. New, attendance 50. Antioch Christian Church is located near Keefer in Grant County. It was organized about June 25, 1870 by J. N. Beck with about 60 charter members. The present pastor is C. W. Noel and the membership is 185. The Sunday School Superintendent if T. K. Blackburn and the average attendance is 35. Williamstown Christian Church was probably the first congregation of this faith organized in the county, the exact date of which organization can not now be definitely determined. Present membership is about 110. Rev. Ward Russell is the pastor, J. M. Riddell is the superintendent of the Sunday School and the average attendance is 60. Lystria Christian Church was organized in 1841 and is today a prosperous organization. It has 39 members in good standing and Walter A. Bucannana is the pastor. Mount Pleasant Christian Church has been organized a great many years. Rev. Shearer is its present pastor and its membership is 278. There are two Catholic Church organizations in Grant County. One at Blanchette with a membership of over 100 and a good church building, organized about 15 years ago, and one at Williamstown with a membership of considerably over a hundred, organized about 10 years ago. The Catholics of Williamstown built there handsome church edifice last year and dedicated it to the use of the Lord just about one year ago. It is a handsome frame structure and cost $2,000. Rev. George Bealer of Covington, is the priest in charge of each of these churches. Primitive Baptist Church, the first church organization in Grant County was the denomination now known as Primitive Baptists. That was at a date anterior to the organization of the county. The first church organization and the first church house built in Grant County was a Primitive Baptist Church one-half mile south of Dry Ridge and it was here that Elder William Conrad was converted to the Lord. There are at the present time three Primitive Baptist Churches in the county.
The Fork Lick Baptist Church was
organized in 1818, and the old church house in which they now worship has
been standing more than 60 years. The present pastor is Rev. Wesley Billiter
and the membership is 14. The Dry Ridge Primitive Baptist Church is a part of the old Williamstown Baptist Church and was organized in 1800 and a handsome new church building erected. The membership is nearly 100 and it is said to be the wealthiest congregation in the county. Rev. C. E. Gilbert, of Winchester, is the pastor. Presbyterian Churches. There are three Presbyterian Churches in Grant County. One is located at Williamstown - one at Crittenden - and one at or near Lebanon, near the Boone County line. The Williamstown Presbyterian Church was organized in 1845. The following ministers filled the pulpit for a number of years by appointment of Ebenezer Presbytery: Rev. W. H. Forsythe, Rev. G. B. Armstrong, Rev. John Crawford. The elders were Mr. Foster, Vance Lemon and subsequently Dr. C. D. Lewis, all now dead. Most of the membership moved away and some died, and for a number of years the church had only a nominal existence. The old church building was removed and church services discontinued. In 1885 the church was revived and reorganized, and a new, substantial brick building constructed for a house of worship. The new church was completed in 1885 and dedicated May 31st of that year. Dr. J. M. Worrall, of Danville, preaching the dedicatory sermon. This church has been pastored by some very able ministers of recent years and is now a strong and substantial body. The church has a membership of 25, a good Sunday School conducted by Mrs. M. D. Gray as superintendent. The Presbyterian Church at Crittenden is one of the oldest churches in the county. Membership 75. The church at Lebanon has a membership of 35 and is a very old church organization. There are three Northern Methodist Churches in Grant County. Wesley Chapel has in good standing 88 members; Pisgah has in good standing 66 members, and Layton's Chapel has in good standing 118 member. Only one of these churches has a Sunday School. Layton's Chapel has an attendance of 65 members and G. A. Ackman as superintendent. Rev. J. G. Ragan is the pastor of all these churches. The Methodists. As far back as 1848-1850, when Rev. Joseph Rand, now of Lexington, Kentucky was a young preacher, the whole of Grant County and also parts of Boone and Pendleton, was included in what was then known as the Crittenden Circuit, which Brother Rand traveled for two years. It was a three weeks' circuit, and the preaching was done in private residences and school houses, mainly, as he had but three church buildings on the entire circuit, all in Grant County; one, an old frame church at Crittenden, long since demolished; one, a new frame church at Dry Ridge, dedicated in 1847 by Father John James, and named James Chapel, in his honor, and the other, a log church, near Corinth, known then and now as Layton's Chapel. This long house is still standing, but the congregation have built a nice frame church near by. The Southern Methodists now have five good church buildings in Grant County and about 500 members. Four of these churches are frame structures and one of them brick. They are located at Dry Ridge, Williamstown, Mason, Corinth and Salem, near Stewartsville, and the Northern Methodists have two churches, both good frame buildings; one Layton's Chapel, near Corinth, and the other, Wesley's Chapel, not far from Elliston. The Williamstown Circuit includes the churches at Williamstown, Dry Ridge, and Salem. Rev. J. P. Strother is the preacher in charge. At Williamstown they have a six thousand dollar brick church, built in 1891, containing the main audience room, a Sunday School room and a pastor's office. The parsonage for the use of the circuit is located here, and is a nice frame cottage, costing something over a thousand dollars. The congregation numbers about 75 members, with an average of 35 or 40 at the Sunday School, of which J. H. Dickey, cashier of the Grant County Deposit Bank, is the efficient superintendent. At Dry Ridge there is now a nice new frame church building, costing about $3,500, with a membership of 108 in the congregation and 40 in the Sunday School, of which John W. Mann is the superintendent. At Salem there is a good frame church, 106 members in the congregation and 40 in the Sunday School, of which Prof. J. M. Flege is the superintendent. This congregation first worshipped in the residence of F. C. Gaugh, then built a log church in 1852, and afterwards, in 1876, erected their present frame structure. Gov. T. L. Clark, of the Williamstown congregation, is perhaps, the oldest Methodist in Grant County, being now nearly 89 years old, and having been an active and useful member of the church in Williamstown for about 60 years. The Missionary Baptists are away in the lead of any other denomination in Grant County. There are today sixteen Baptist Churches of this faith in Grant County, nearly double the number belonging to any other denomination. The membership given herein is only approximate in some instances.
The Williamstown
Courier, May 30, 1901
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Oak Grove
Baptist Church, membership 140.