The Sandy Creek Baptist Church, located in Butler County, eight miles south of Morgantown, was constituted on June 15, 1805, with forty members, thirty-seven whites, and three blacks. Elder Benjamin Talbot was the first pastor, and continued until his death in 1834, a period of twenty-nine years. A log meeting house was erected, and the church began to prosper. In January, 1835, Elder Alfred Taylor was called to succeed the lamented Ben Talbot, and served two years. Elder William Childress was the next pastor and served ten years, 1837 to 1847. In 1840, while Childress was still pastor, the second log meeting house was built.Elder Alfred Taylor was pastor the second time for two years, followed by a short pastorate of Elder J. S. Coleman, who was just entering the ministry. About 1850, while Elder J. H. Felts was pastor the first Sunday school was organized. In 1880, during the pastorate of Elder J. H. Newman, the third house of worship was erected, not far from the first "old log house" built by Brother Ben Talbot. The third house was a frame building and has met the needs of the church 69 years, but was being replaced by a more commodious frame building in early 1949.
The Centennial of the Sandy Creek Church was held in June, 1905, when Elder James P. Taylor, the son of Alfred Taylor, was pastor. A history of the church was read and published with the title "A Brief History of the Sandy Creek Church for One Hundred Years" and signed by James P. Taylor, Dunbar, Kentucky.* This, the first Baptist church in Butler County, has dismissed members to form the following churches: Bethel Church, in 1848, still (1949) worshipping in a large log meeting house erected in 1872; Union Church, constituted in 1860; Richland, in 1861; and Big Muddy, in 1875, The Sandy Creek Church entertained the third annual session of the Gasper River Association in 1814, and reported to that same body in 1948, 263 members and Rev. H. E. White, pastor.
________________
* Taylor, James P. History of Sandy Creek Church.=========== [From Frank Masters, A History of Baptists in Kentucky, 1953, pp. 102-3. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
More Kentucky Baptist Histories
Baptist History Homepage