Clear Creek Church

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Originally compiled, written & submitted to ECHGS by
Sonja Crowe Estes and copied with permission of ECHGS

It was on Robert Crowe's farm that the third Clear Creek Church was built sometime between the years 1856 and 1860. It stood on top of the hill close to Robert and Elizabeth's home and was constructed of sawed lumber instead of logs.

At the time the third church was built, the Clear Creek Meeting House ran across James Crowe's property to the corner line of Sally Riddell's property (now Daw Miller), it then turned to the right down the hill, across Clear Creek, up the hill on the other side past Robert Crowe's house and the church on to Rice Station. Ironically, the supposed site of the first Clear Creek Church is just a few hundred yards out the ridge from the site of the third church.

On the 12th of September, 1860, for the consideration of $1.00, Robert Crowe deeded one acre of land to James Crowe and James Richardson, trustees of the Clear Creek Church of Baptist. The following stipulation was written into the deed:

"The members shall have the land and building for the use and benefit of said Clear Creek Church of the United Baptists, so long as they remain and continue using the meeting house or any house they may erect on the tract of land herein described as a house of worship and must refuse to permit any person advocating the emancipation of slaves to preach in said house or on the premises, but to revert back to me and my heirs, land lying and being on the waters of Clear Creek in Estill County."

In this stipulation and also in his will dated 24th January, 1861, Robert refers to the church as the Clear Creek Church of United Baptists. The term "United Baptists" came about at a convention help at Providence Baptist Church in Clark County, Kentucky, in October of 1801.

During the colonial days of America, we find in Virginia two separate sects of Baptists known as Regular and Separate. In the early settlement of Kentucky, each contended for supremacy. In 1801, a great revival swept the state and an effort was made to come to some terms of union of Regulars and Separates. Early in 1801, a committee was appointed consisting of members of each Association. At a conference of the joint committees on August 22, 1801, terms of union were agreed upon and in October when representatives of all the churches in each Association met at the old Stone Meeting House (Providence) on Howard's Creek and unanimously approved the terms of union.