by Donna Carman Editor One of the states's oldest churches marked it's 200th anniversary with a celebration Saturday and Sunday. South Fork Separate Baptist Church,located on South Fork Church Road in southern Casey County marked 200 years of continious service this weekend. "Two hundred years ago some strong people came to this part of the country and said ' We're going to worship here in freedom."Now we carry on that tradition" said Deacon Mike Simpson during a Sunday afternoon service. The church originated in 1798 and is in its fourth building. The first building was a small log structure that sat across from the present building where the cemetery is now located. It contained a balcony where African-Americans gathered to worship. "This is said to be one of the oldest churches in Kentucky that's never closed its doors or ceased to have regular services," said Graig Lawhorn,also a deacon at South Fork. Lawhorn said some descendants of one of the church's first families had record books dating back to 1798. He and his wife, Carol,used to visit the late Effie Riggons, who had some of the church record books stored in her attic. "We'd go up there and get the books and read them to her,"he said."There are stories in there about how people used to bring chickens,eggs or whatever they had to pay the pastor. Sometimes the offering would only be seven cents or fifteen cents." Lawhorn said some of the old record books had been missing for awhile. However, the church was presented with one of the old record books, which dated back to 1835, on Sunday. Lawhorn,48,grew up about a mile and a half from the church. It was the center of activity then for the community. "On Decoration Day [fourth Sunday in May] you could see cars lined up on all three roads.[The roads intersect near where the church sits.] There was no way you could get everyone in the house. Those that couldn't would stand outside and talk." he said. Lawhorn said he can also remember riding to church in a horse and wagon. The weekend's events got under way Saturday night with a shape note singing. About 175 attended, including a group from Tennessee that comes every year,Lawhorn said.When the service ended about 10:30 p.m., Lawhorn said about 12 of the group went to the Lawhorn's place of business on Bryant Ridge and stayed up talking and singing some more until 2:30 a.m. The shape note singing continued Sunday morning,with dinner following. A church history and recog- nition program was held in the afternoon.Several members of the congregation dressed in old-fashioned attire. Plaques were presented to former pastors attendiing,as well as family members of those deceased. Those attending were Amos Emerson, pastor from 1956-58;C.D. Goodin,1980-81;David Coffey,1981-84;Junior Lee Holmes,1984-85;Ritchie Curtis,1985-93;and present pastor,Bobby Bryant,who began pastoring South Fork in 1995. Other former pastors since 1920 include J.P. Campbell,1920-34 and 1939-40; Joe Peavey, 1934-39; Otha Lee Popplewell,1940-42 and 1945-46; O.C. Reece, 1942-45 and 1946-54; Roosevelt Brown.1961-70; and A.G. Smith, 1979-80. All are deceased. Those who are still living, but unable to attend,were Coy Putteet,1958-61; Vernon Blakey,1970-78; and Garry Johnson,1993-95. Without these people the doors could not have stayed opened or made a change in the lives of a lot of people ," Lawhorn said. A more detailed history of Soth Fork Separate Baptist Church, and some records found in old minutes books, can be found on page 10. South Fork Separate Baptist Church After the end of the American Revolutionary War, a steady flow of settlers,ex-war veterans,and Baptists began to move into the Kentucky Territory of Virginia.While there has always been considerable dispute concerning when the "first" church was established in Kentucky,it has been widely accepted that the major thrust of Sepatate Baptist movement occurred during this time. In 1785 these Baptist associations were organized- the Elkhorn Association,which was comprised of all Regular Baptist churches north of the Elkhorn and the Dix rivers;the Salem Association,comprised of Regular Baptist churches south of the Elkhorn and Dix rivers;and the South Kentucky Association , which was comprised of all Separate Baptist churches in the Kentucky territory. Although oral tradition places the formation of South Fork Separate Baptist Church somewhere in the late 1780's or 1790's,the minutes of the South Kentucky Association of Separate Baptist churches does not give a listing of the member churches until 1809. South Fork Church is first mentioned in the 1809 directory of churches in attendance at the associational meeting. An excerpt of the minutes reads as follows: "Delegates:Richard Shackleford,Zachariah Schackleford,William Burkes, and John Jones,Jr. John Jones Jr was the clerk for this meeting." Still, it is possible that South Fork Church could have formed at a much earlier date that stated in the association directory and may have had to delay its membership in the South Kentucky Association.For example,the reader must keep in mind that the American Revolution had just ended and the Indians were still very much a problem on the Kentucky frontier. Moreover,an entry in the South Kentucky Association minutes provides some support for this theory: "[Shawney Run Meeting house on the second Friday in October,1795]: The Asson appointed Brethern James Rogers,Joseph Milborn,Mathew Rogers and Barnet Sowell and such as the may call to answer of the church on the Green River." A passage in the associational minutes of the meeting conducted at Jessamine meeting house oin October 1796 refers to the matter again: "Section 5th- The committee thinks the helps appointed to attend the call of the church on Green River ought to make report.That the matter was to be reconciled." However,there was no reference to this matter in the association minutes of the annual meeting in 1797.Instead,the next annual meeting was established to be held on the second Friday of October,1798 at the meeting house on Salt River called Harlands.The mystery of the origins of South Fork Church deepens because pages 20-29 of the South Kentucky Association meeting book are blank. The next entry in the association minutes is found on page 30 and refers to a meeting held at McCormicks Meeting House on Saturday,Oct.27,1803; "A petition from a body of Baptist on Green River for constitution,Brethern McGraw and Miller to answer that call." Could this entry still be refering to the same Baptist church mentioned earlier ?Wy was there a four-year laspe in time from 1797-1803? The answer to these questions may never be truly known since the minutes of South Fork Separate Baptist covering the period of its origins until 1917 were lost about 1980. One explanation for the time period relates to the union between the Regular and Separate Baptist churches in the United States which was effected about 1800 and lasted until 1803. Ironically,the split in the union between the two organizations was relateed to the name "separate." According to the Associational minutes,Sotuh Fork Church membership grew from 42 in 1809 to 170 members in 1883. Church membership in 1995 [at the time of this writing] is about 45.While lack of adequate space does not permit a detailed explaination for the rise and fall of church membership,the church was the center of society in America until about the 1900's when it was replaced with other forms of social entertainment.Also,there were six schims which caused division and separation within most churches and associations from 1799 until 1883. South Fork Sepatate Baptist Church is still active.The church members are conservative and devout in their beliefs and religious practices. They have a proud heritage that should be recorded for the benefit of future generations within and outside of the Separate Baptist Church. copied from Churches of Casey County page 10 Casey County News, Wed., Oct 7 1998