Paint Lick Baptist Church

Church History

Earliest records indicate that the Paint Lick Baptist Church was organized in the early 1860’s. The earliest membership records which, we have available today show that a man named Curtis Alexander united with the church in 1861.

The Paint Lick Baptist Church was admitted to the Ten Mile Association in 1866 during the Association’s 36th annual session which, was held on the Wednesday before the first Saturday in September at Vine Run in Grant County. The Paint Lick Baptist Church filed a letter with the Association in 1866 and the letter indicated that the total membership for that year was 65.

The first building which the church occupied was a log structure on the North Fork of Paint Lick Creek. An 1883 map of Gallatin County shows the location of the log church. It was located near the Paint Lick Creek east of what is now known as Valley View. The property on which the church was located is now part of the late James Rankin property (now belonging to Sally Rankin Haddix & Montel Haddix).

The Paint Lick Baptist Church was moved to the present location sometime in the year 1886. It was probably late in that year because the property was not purchased until February 25, 1886. On February 25, 1886 Levi P. Jackson and his wife, Elizabeth M. Jackson, both then residing in Shelby County, Illinois sold two acres on the Ohio River road and the waters of the Paint Lick Creek to the Trustees of the Paint Lick Baptist Church for the sum of $ The oral history, which has been passed down through the years, is that a man named Ralph Bright had donated the land to the church.

Since $ was a large sum of money in 1886, perhaps he donated a sum of money for the purchase, but the actual deed of conveyance recorded in the Gallatin County clerk’s office shows Levi and Elizabeth Jackson as the grantors of the land. The deed contained the condition that the north ½ of the tract should be used as a graveyard and meetinghouse was to be built on the south half.

Henry Sisson, grandfather of the late Clare Audrey Sisson and the great grandfather of the late Media Hendren Rider and the late Myra Hendren Odor, donated the timber from which lumber was sawed to build the meetinghouse.

It is indeed unfortunate that no church records are available to give us details of the circumstances surrounding the building of the church. The available records begin in 1908.

On January 25, 1889 James H. Jackson, G. H. McNeely and Virginuis Webber, Trustees of the Regular Baptist Church at Paint Lick conveyed a tract of land containing 3 rods and 6 poles located on the north fork of Paint Lick Creek to William Ross for $ This appears to be the tract where the log church was located.

On July 29, 1957, the Trustees of the Paint lick Baptist Church bought a tract of land feet by 60 feet from Willie Brown Norton and her husband, Norton for the sum of $1,

The new section of the cemetery and small shed are located on this tract.

In February 1987, it was voted on by the church body to build an educational building which is the educational building we use today.

In the middle and late 1990’s, the white building known as the “THE LITTLE CHURCH BY THE ROAD” began to need repair and many suggestions were made to improve it, but as the improvements were being done the congregation saw that termites had also enjoyed this building as well as it parishioners. The cost of the improvements now out weighed the amount the church wanted to spend so, before improvements went to far the church body voted to tear down the old building and build a new brick church. A group of Amish folks out of Indiana tore down most of the old building and the useable lumber was donated to them.

ATECK builders started building on the new church as soon as the old building was cleared away. Kenny & Terri French and their crews worked hard to get the new building done by the end of the year however, weather held up the process and the new building was not completed until early 2001. The new red brick church you see here today was dedicated on March 4th, 2001.

To the Glory Of God.