Old Time Religion:
Soldier Creek Primitive Baptist Church
Written by Justin D. Lamb
Originally named Clark’s River Church, Soldier Creek Primitive Baptist Church was constituted on May 13, 1820 at the home of William Owens when a group of “Hard Shell” Baptists met to form a congregation. The church became the first church west of the Tennessee River in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is the oldest in the Jackson Purchase region.
The charter members were Leonard Kaler, William Baker, Selah Baker, Abraham Copeland, Sally Copeland, Mary Smith, Parker Harrell, Deliah Harrell, Anna Boland, Gabriel Washburn, Martha Henson, and Henry Darnall. The presbytery was composed of Elder Fielding Wolfe, Elder Henry Darnall, and Elder Payne. Sally Gilbert was the first person to be baptized in June of 1820.
Soon after organization, the church received a land grant of eight acres from the Kentucky General Assembly and the first meeting house was built of round logs and had a dirt floor. Local oral history passed down through several generations states that Indians watched in the nearby woods as the white settlers built the first church.
A few years later, the building was replaced with a hewed log structure with a wood floor and served the congregation until it was destroyed by fire in 1874. The present building was built immediately after and served the congregation for years to come. Parishioners sat on long wooden benches and the hymns were sung in acapella and the ritual of foot washing was often observed. By 1838, Clark’s River Church changed its name to Soldier Creek Primitive Baptist.
Some of the early pastors who were called to preach the Gospel were Hugh Gilbert, Benjamin Harrison, Granville Gibson, J.M. Perkins, and J.C. Chester. The latter preached in the church on May 13, 1920, exactly on the hour and the day of the 100th anniversary of the church’s founding.
Born in 1779 in Virginia, Elder Henry Darnall is perhaps the pastor most associated with Soldier Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Darnall came to western Kentucky in the 1820s when the land in the Purchase area was first opened to settlers. Darnall soon settled in northern Calloway County (later became Marshall County) and began preaching as a circuit rider. After the Kentucky General Assembly enacted legislation which officially created Marshall County, Darnall was instrumental in forming the church at Solider Creek. Darnall is also credited with performing the first ever marriage ceremony in Marshall County on October 25, 1842 to John T. Grubbs and Valina Duncan. After years behind the pulpit, Darnall passed away in 1860 and was buried in the Soldier Creek Cemetery.
Henry Darnall’s son, Nicholas Darnall, was also called to the pulpit and preached at Solider Creek Primitive Baptist Church. In addition to his duties a pastor, Nicholas Darnall was involved in county politics and was elected County Judge of Marshall County in the 1874 Democratic Primary. Darnall ran on the “Economy Ticket” and promised if elected he would reduce the salary of the County Judge from $500 a year to $300 a year. With the 1874 economic depression weighing down, Darnall’s promise appealed to the voters and he was easily elected. After being elected to a second term in 1878, Nicholas Darnall passed away at the age of 69 after succumbing to typhoid fever.
Though no longer a full time place of worship, Soldier Creek Primitive Baptist Church is steeped in history and is a reminder of old time religion in Marshall County.
