| The History of the |
| In 1789, a group of Scot-Irish Presbyterians moved from Campbell County, Virginia to what is now, Marion County, Kentucky. These pioneers were the families of Samuel and James McElroy, Alexander Handly, and John Muldraugh. This information comes from a booklet written in 1895 by W. T. Knott entitled History of the Presbyterian Church in What is Now Marion County and City of Lebanon, Kentucky. Mr. Knott sat for hours with William E. McElroy, the son of Samuel, exploring his memories to gain this history. William was 13 years old when his family came to Marion County and William helped build the first Presbyterian Church along with the other families. That building, Hardin's Creek Church, with a role of 11 members, was a small, unchinked log cabin, 16 by 16 feet and 5 logs high. It was located in the area of the parking lots behind Main Street, near where The Country Kitchen Restaurant is today. The Cemetery is at the corner of Proctor Knott Avenue and M.L. King Drive and some of the head stones from the early 1800's still stand today, but whether they are in their precise location is unknown. According to Mr. Knott's record, the congregation grew and by 1795, a larger church was needed. Again, a log structure was erected, 28 feet long by 20 feet wide. This structure was chinked but not daubed and had a plank floor. This church was located on the other side of the cemetery, across from the "home of Mr. Kobert," according to the Knott book. That home is owned by the family of the late Eddie Deep, Sr. and his wife Catherine, still resides there. The land for the new log church was donated by William Purdy. In 1801, the Rev. Thomas Cleland was named the pastor of the Hardin's Creek Presbyterian Church. As the Hardin's Creek congregation continued to grow, a third building was needed. The Knott document doesn't give a clear description of the exact spot, but it was apparently next to the second log church. This time the structure was, "a neat frame building, 38 feet long and 28 feet wide." A fourth church was constructed in 1827, from brick, and was 50 by 40 feet. Knott reports that it was, "near the sites of the second and third houses built." Around 1840, the Presbyterian Church nationally had many constitutional disputes and churches all over the country split over these issues. In 1841, Hardin's Creek Church was no different. The Rev. A. A. Hogue became the pastor of First Presbyterian Church, which followed the "old school" tradition. Rev. Thomas Clark led the "new school" group, but they did not adopt the formal name of Second Presbyterian Church for many years. This split was felt not only within the congregation but within families. In 1854, after many years of arguing about how to settle the property, the two groups decided to build a new church that each group would use with equal rights. This building was located on the same property as the others and was known as the First Presbyterian Church. The "new school" group finally built their own structure in 1871, where the Alltel Relay Building is today, on East Main. They, of course, called their church Second Presbyterian. In 1921, the Presbyterians re-unified and continued to use the building of Second Presbyterian, but changed the name to The United Presbyterian Church. A new building was needed to house the unified congregation. The congregation already owned the lot across the street, having purchased it in 1924 along with a home for the pastor. A gothic style church was completed in 1926, directly across Main Street from the old Second Presbyterian building and next door the The Manse. The dedication of the new church was delayed until 1927 due to a wiring fire which caused significant damage to the interior of the building. The Second Presbyterian building was remodeled and used as the Lebanon Public Library for decades, until it was torn down after the construction of a modern library, just across the street, in the 1970's. The First Presbyterian building was used as a gymnasium and was then torn down in 1937. The land on Proctor Knott Avenue, including the cemetery, was deeded back to the heirs of the donor by court order. |
| In 1989, UPC had a glorious Founder's Day Celebration. Members came to worship in authentic dress for 1789. |
| The pastor in 1989, Rev. Gavin Meek, rode to church on horseback. |
| The Order of Worship was taken from the period, as were the hymns. Many visitors and former pastors were in attendance. |
| A commemorative banner was made by the women of the church and still hangs in the sanctuary today. |
| A Bicentennial Cookbook was produced by the Women of the Church and is still loved and used by many in the community. |
| As you see, the history is rich and is still being made in our own time. |
