Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church was organized in 1797 by some of the early Primitive Baptist

Primitive Baptist

Primitive Baptists, also known as Hard Shell Baptists or Anti-Mission Baptists, are conservative, Calvinist Baptists adhering to beliefs that formed out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 1800’s over the appropriateness of mission boards, bible tract societies, and temperance...

settlers of Franklin County, Indiana

Franklin County, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,151 people, 7,868 households, and 6,129 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile . There were 8,596 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...

. The current church building, constructed in 1812, is the oldest church still standing in Indiana.

Organization

The church was organized by Primitive Baptists, who came with Elder William Tyner, he and his family came from Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

via Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

in 1797. They organized the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church, the first church in the Whitewater River

Whitewater River (Indiana)

The Whitewater River is a tributary of the Great Miami River in southeastern Indiana and southwestern Ohio in the United States. It is formed by the confluence of two forks, the West Fork and East Fork....

Valley. http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/FamHist-FranklinIN.html The members built a log church as early as 1805, about two or three miles southeast of Brookville, Indiana

Brookville, Indiana

Brookville is a town in Brookville Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,625 at the 2000 census. The town is the county seat of Franklin County.-Geography:...

. In 1812 they built a large brick church, with balcony, and rifle ports. It is the oldest church building standing on its original site in Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. It is open as a historic site. Little Cedar also has a small cemetery where some of the early settlers were buried.

The Big Cedar Baptist Church and Burying Ground

Big Cedar Baptist Church and Burying Ground

Big Cedar Baptist Church and Burying Ground is located on Big Cedar Creek Road, between the road to Reily and the Oxford Pike, in Springfield Township, Franklin County, Indiana...

on Big Cedar Creek Road, between the road to Reily and the Oxford Pike was an arm or branch of the Little Cedar Grove Baptist Church.

Construction

The church group had organized several years before building a permanent building. In December 1811 the New Madrid Earthquake

New Madrid earthquake

The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes were an intense intraplate earthquake series beginning with an initial pair of very large earthquakes on December 16, 1811. These earthquakes remain the most powerful earthquakes ever to hit the eastern United States in recorded history...

occurred the church members took it as a sign of judgment for their failure to build a proper church. Rev. Allen Wiley, a circuit rider of the church, said "The people ran to and fro, called for prayer meetings, exhorted each other to do good deeds and repent of sins as if Judgment Day was at hand. Then they met in solemn conclave and made a covenant with the almighty that if he would send no more earthquakes, they would build Him a church". The congregation then quickly proceeded to build a large brick church. The new church building was finished on August 1 of 1812.

External links

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