The Olmstead Baptist Church was organized on the warm Sunday afternoon of August 25, 1957 under the large maple trees in front of Bert and Annabelle Robinson's home on Whippoorwill Creek at Lickskillet.

The community roots of what is now the Olmstead Baptist Church can be traced back to a serious doctrinal disagreement between brethren within the Dripping Spring Baptist Church (organized December 14, 1850) in the Lickskillet community. Half the membership wanted to resign from the Southern Baptist Convention and its Cooperative Program and the other half wanted to stay in. In the end, the Pastor and about forty members of Dripping Spring Baptist Church left the building and the members who chose to stay loyal to the Convention. Pastor Tom Hart and the dissenting members sought an Independent Baptist congregation from which to receive church authority to organize into a New Testament Baptist Church.

On August 25, 1957, the Pastor, Deacons, and several members of the Fatherland Baptist Church, Nashville, Tennessee drove over into Kentucky for the purpose of organizing a new independent Baptist church. Some names of the ordained men who took part in the service included Bro. Lee Young, Bro. Clifford Robinson, Bro. Deloach, Bro. Henderson Phillips, Bro. Eddie Holland, Bro. Orange, Pastor W. W. Miles, and Bro. Shelby McCullough, all of Fatherland Baptist Church. Also taking part were Pastor Tom Hart and the church's only deacon, Robert Blick. Sister Elizabeth Burton of the Fatherland Baptist Church served as clerk for the organization service. Motion was made and passed that the Dripping Springs members be received into the membership of the Fatherland Baptist Church by statement. The members included:

Mr./Mrs. O. G. Traughber	Mr./Mrs. Ira Dixon	Patricia Dixon	   
Fredia Dixon	                Philena Dixon	    	Mr./Mrs. Bert Robinson 
Glenn Robinson	                Mr./Mrs. Clarence Arnold Larry Arnold	   
Joe Arnold			Lois Arnold		Mr./Mrs. Harold Hankins	   
Ben Ferguson			John Ferguson		Connie Ferguson	   
Mrs. Lucile Farthing		Nancy Scarbrough	Theda York	   
Mr./Mrs. Raymond Blick		Robert Blick		Mr./Mrs. Hershel Blick	   
Mr./Mrs. Layton Blick		Layton Blick, Sr.	Charles Blick	   
Donnie Blick			Dannie Blick		Claude Blick	   
Sue Blick			Christine Blick		Glenn Blick	   
Tommy Farthing			Don Farthing		Mrs. J. Boyd (Dot) Stratton	   
Mrs. Katherine Brake		Bro. Thomas Hart

After organization, the new members were granted letters of dismissal by the Fatherland Baptist Church to the newly organized Olmstead Baptist Church. The new church voted to purchase a tent in which to meet until a building could be erected. The tent was pitched on the banks of the Whippoorwill Creek next to Bert Robinson's home. The land on which to build a church building was later donated by Mrs. J.W. Murray of Allensville, Kentucky.

After a couple of years, there arose a doctrinal disagreement between the church and her pastor, Bro. Tom Hart, and he resigned in July 1959. Bro. Hart had drifted into Hardshellism and later became a pastor of Primitive Baptist churches.

The church's second pastor, Bro. Richard Folger, served from November 18, 1959 through August 4, 1963. During Bro. Folger's term, much work was done on the church building and the church voted to buy additional land on which to build a parsonage. The original church building was an old Methodist Church structure purchased from Mr. John Stovall of Adairville, Kentucky. The men of Olmstead Baptist Church tore it down and reassembled it exactly as it was with very little additional help.

The third pastor was Bro. Wallace York. He was the first pastor to live in the new parsonage. Bro. York served from November 6, 1963 through November 1966.

Olmstead Baptist Church's fourth pastor was Bro. Edward Kittle. He served from January 1967 until June 30, 1968. He resigned to go as a missionary to Brazil, on one term under the direct authority and sponsorship of Olmstead Baptist Church.

Bro. Harold J. Harvey pastored the church in two terms, the first being July 1968 until March 1978, and the second from April 1984 until his death in July 2000. Between Bro. Harvey's two terms, Bro. James Duvall ably led the church from March 1978 to April 1984. During Bro. Harvey's tenure, the church acquired more land, some of which was dedicated as a church cemetery.

In January 2001, our current pastor, Bro. Roger T. Jones began his service to the church.

[Mark duBarry is a member of the church.]

Newspaper article on organization.

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