The Campbellsville Church was known for more than half a century first as Robinson Creek and Pitman Church, and then as the Pitmans Creek Church. Honorable H. S. Robinson, Campbellsville, Kentucky, furnished the author some valuable records concerning these early churches.The Robinson Creek Church was constituted in 1791 at the residence of John Harding, who with his two brothers, Abraham and Thomas, had come from Virginia and settled two miles west from where Campbellsville now stands. The little band built a meeting house on the East bank of the Weant Creek, known as the Robinson Creek meeting house. Here was started a grave yard, where many of the early pioneers were buried.
The church united with the South Kentucky Association of Separate Baptists soon after its constitution. When the Green River Association was formed in 1800 the church became a member of that body, according to the following records: "The Pitman and Robinson Creek Church" sent messengers to the Green River Association and reported twenty-one members. In 1801 the "Pitman and Robinson Creek Church" sent messengers to the same Association and reported eighty-three members. But the records of the Green River Association of 1802 state that the Robinson Creek Church sent messengers and reported forty-two members. Likewise the same year the Pitman Creek Church sent messengers and had seventy-five members This shows there had been a division in the church. Fortunately Mr. Robinson furnished the records of the two churches, which reported to the Green River Association in 1802. He says: "In April, 1802, it was desired to build a church house on Pitman Creek, and certain members were dismissed for that purpose. A Pitman Creek Wing was organized and they built a church house in August, 1802 on a branch of Pitman Creek about two miles west of Campbellsville."
"In December of the same year both the Robinson Creek and the Pitman Creek Churches were united under the name of Pitman Creek Church, and after that, used the church house that was built by the Pitman Wing." Mr. Robinson thus describes this meeting house: "This house on the Pitman branch was built of hewed logs, thirty by thirty feet square, covered with clap-board, held down with heavy poles. They worshiped in that house until 1806 without any floor, no doors, nor windows; no chincks between the logs. Then in the same year, 1806, they took up the celebrated subscription to finish the meeting house."
The Pitsman Creek Church went into the organization of the Russell's Creek Association, when that body was constituted out of Green River in 1804. The church had sixty-six members at that time and the pioneer Baldwin Clifton was pastor. Isaac Hodgen, the second pastor of the church was "one of the most famous preachers of his generation." John Harding succeeded Isaac Hodgens at his death in 1826, and continued as pastor about twenty years.
After Taylor County was formed in 1848, the Pitmans Creek Church moved in 1852 into Campbellsville, the new county seat, and was styled the Campbellsville Baptist Church, which for more than ninety years has been a lighthouse in all that secton. Ths great church reported 945 members to the Russell's Creek Assocation in 1946, and Harvey F. Morrison as the distinguished pastor.
========== [From Masters, A History of Baptists in Kentucky, 1953, pp. 79-80. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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