Gold Valley
Some sources refer to this community as Golds Valley. It is said that gold was thought to have been discovered here, but this turned out not to be true. The Gold Vally Road leads to the Owen County Line which, at this point, lies two miles due south of Jonesville and twelve miles due west of Williamstown.
The first record found of community action was the gift of 1/4 acre by Richard Osbourne and wife to be used as a school and religious meeting house. This land, on Straight Fork of Steven's Creek, was deeded on October 25, 1856 to Hiram Wilson, Samuel Kinman, Richard Osbourne and their successors as Trustees of the 38th School District. This school has also been known as the Oak Grove School. A record from the time period, 1921-1923, lists the names of the Oak Grove School Trustees as N. W. Stewart, I. Berkley and Frank Bromley. The Oak Grove School is now long gone, with children bussed to consolidated schools.
The Concord Baptist Church was organized at the school house in 1883. In 1884 a new church was built on an acre of ground given for the church and cemetery by William Webster, son of Mann Webster. The first to be buried in the cemetery was Ann Beard.
In
her early history of the Concord Baptist Church, Mrs. Berlin Berkley refers
to an earlier history:
As
the early church records were lost,
the only authentic record we have is published in 1888 by a pastor who was
ordained July 24, 1884. He was W. J. Johnson who came from Alabama to attend
the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky. His ordination
was the first one in the church. For the story of his life he tells of being
called to a church in the "Big Woods" in the edge of Grant County. At that
time, woods covered most of the territory for miles and miles. He tells of
men coming to church in their short sleeves while the women thought they
were finely clad in calico dresses. We do no know how many members were in
the first church, but he says that after working ten days with the people,
he had 49 additions to the church. The members called him to preach and agreed
to pay his expenses and also called for his ordination. The council in 1884
was composed of brethern from the following churches: New Liberty,
C. M. Riley; New Bethel, J. V. Riley; Clarks Creek, L. M. Theobald,
J. W. Evans, N. Green, W. H. Kuhn; Owenton, J. R. Waldrop Bethany,
L. Woods, A. G. Gross, Samuel Hix; Macedonia, A. Hen, S. Jones, Charley
Bradley; Lusby's Mill, J. D. Clark; Beech Grove, Joel Cobb;
Concord, William Jump, Jackson Jump, L. Pryor, Green P.
Smith.
A building committee composed of R. A. Stegar, Jake Berkley and N. B. Osborne led the way for a new church which was dedicated July 30, 1922. At this time, Rev. E. R. Sams was the minister and N. W. Stewart was clerk. N. B. Osborne was licensed to preach at this church and was later ordained at another church.
In 1961, Lester Caldwell was licensed to preach and in 1962 was ordained as full time minister at Concord Baptist Church. Deacons at the time were Johnson Osborne, Grover Kinman, Kirtly Caldwell, Herman Kinman and Carey Vannarsdall. The Concord Baptist Church celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1983. It remains the center of community life in Gold Valley.
Mt.
Pisgah United Methodist
Church
Mt.
Pisgah United Methodist CHurch, also on Gold Valley Road, was formed in the
late 1800's, according to Mrs. Ted Sebastian,who has collected memories of
older members, who include families of Delores Crosswaite, Laura Edwards,
Bessie Elliott, Mort Evans, Perry McComas, Bob Scroggins, Lillie Sebastian,
Dowell Thomas, and Sol Washum. The land for the first church building and
cemetery was given by the Edwards family. In 1901 the church was known as
a Northern Methodist Episcopal Church, had 66 members "in good standing",
and shared a pastor with two other churches. Around 1910 the first church
burned and was replaced with another one-room frame church, with a basement
for Sunday School rooms. In 1962 that building also burned, and meetings
were held in the nearby White CHapel Church until the third church building
was completed in 1964.
Concord
Baptist Cemetery
The
Concord Baptist Church Cemetery had, when it was inventoried by Virgil Chandler
Sr. in 1987, 90 graves
spanning 69 years (1914-1983), representing families of Jumps, Kinmans, Websters,
and others.
Mt.
Pisgah Cemetery
The
Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church Cemetery had, in 1987, 83 graves spanning
101 years (1885-1986), with at least 50 unmarked graves, representing families
of Evans, Scroggins, and others. One of the most scenic view in Grant County
can be obtained from the front yard of the Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church,
as it sits 200 feet above one of the largest of the Eagle Creek horseshoe
bends and it extensive fertile
valley.
The
Kinman Family Cemetery
The
Kinman Family Cemetery, called "very well kept and in very good condition"
by Virgil Chandler Sr. in 1987 had 22 graves spanning 36 years (1938-1974).
One of the most beautiful views in Grant County can be obtained by looking
over the marvelous, unspoiled Eagle Creek Vally, from the front of this
church.
W. Stewart also operated a store in Golds Valley for a number of years. A. US Post Office was opened in his store in 1903. It was discontinued in 1912. Perhaps the best known store was the one ran by Nels Kinman. The first building burned and was rebuilt. It is sad to report that Mr. Kinman was clubbed to death in 1950 at the age of 82.
History of Grant County, John B. Conrad, Editor
Published by The Grant County Historical
Society
Williamstown, Kentucky
Article by C. Vannarsdale and K. H. Connely,
1992