BRYAN STATION BAPTIST CHURCH, FAYETTE COUNTY
About six miles northeast from Lexington on the Briar Hill Pike stands this historic church, one of the oldest in Kentucky. The Rev. Lewis Craig and a number of early settlers met April 15, 1786, and organized the church. The first meetings were held in one of the small cabins at Bryan's Station. A log building followed, which was succeeded by a brick structure in 1807. The present building was erected around 1867 and stands on a hill across the creek from where the pioneer stockade was located. The Rev. Ambrose Dudley, noted Revolutionary War officer and pioneer preacher, was the first regular pastor of Bryan's (Bryant's) Station Church, serving from 1786 until 1809. Around this time a difficulty arose over church discipline, which split the congregation at Bryan's Station Church. Both parties claimed the use, name and prerogatives of the church. The Rev. Dudley, with some of the members, entered the Licking Association of "Particular" Baptists in 1810. This faction of Bryan's Station Church had only two pastors through the 99 years of its history - Ambrose Dudley and son, Thomas P. Dudley. The other branch of the church, known as "Missionary" Baptists, continued to occupy the church, some of whose early pastors were Jeremiah Vardaman, 1811-30; B. E. Allen, 1861-67; J. B. Tharp, 1870-72; Robert Ryland, 1875-76; John C. Freeman, 1878-83; 1885-90; T. P. Stafford, 1892-93; W. W. Lee, 1897; A. J. Moseley, 1898 and W. J. Ray, 1900. Latter-day ministers include W. P. Stuart, J. H. Wells, Charles Graham, T. L. Wiggingham, Thomas C. Smith, B. M. Shouse, O. F. Baxter, R. L. Kerrick, Howard M. Patton, Richard Martin and J. R. Masterson. The sesqui-centennial of the regular Bryan's Station Church was held April 15, 1936.============= [From Sunday Herald-Leader, March 14, 1965 - The "Historic Kentucky" section. Photo and Text by J. Winston Coleman, Jr. This document is from the Kentucky Historical Society Library, Frankfort, KY. - Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
____________ ky.fayetDecision of the church to build the first brick building as a meetinghouse, 1806.
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