Early Presbyterian and Baptist Church History

The Presbyterians and Baptists were the first denominations of Christians to occupy the present territory of Crittenden County. 

The Presbyterians preceded the Baptists by a few years.  The first Baptist church organized in Crittenden County was Old Union, organized about 1805.    (was the location of the Union Baptist church today at Levias/Midway community about 5 miles south of Marion)

They were soon followed by the Methodists.

In the closing  years of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth century, the Presbyterians made a great crusade again sin throughout Western Kentucky.

Revivals were held, resulting in many conversions.  In 1797 the Rev. Terah Templin, the first Presbyterian preacher in Western Kentucky, organized a church on Livingston Creek at a place known to the old settlers as Old Centerville.  It was at that time the county seat of Livingston County.  This doubtless was the first Presbyterian Church in Western Kentucky.  

In 1803, Bethany church, Presbyterian, commonly called the "Old Log Church," was organized on Crooked Creek, one and one-half miles North of Marion.  This church seems to have been organized by the Rev. Wm. Dickey.   (Location of the Crooked Creek Baptist church of today).

In 1807, John Travis, an elder in the Bethany Church, was censured for attending services among the "dissenting Cumberland Brethren," the mater terminating in his withdrawal from the church.   The new organizations, that of the Cumberland  Presbyterian Church, was not completed until 1810, but for some time previously camp-meetings were held by the "Cumberlands" throughout this section.  One of their preaching places was at the residence of John Wheeler, the great grand-father of James A. Wheeler, who for years was an elder in the Piney Fork church.  

John Wheeler seems to have become identified with the revival from the very first and his house was a regular preaching place for the early revival ministers.

The old log home of John Wheeler, where the early revival Cumberland Presbyterian preachers used to meet.  Was located about 5 miles from Marion on Hwy 506 on the Ralph Paris farm.