Cruise Creek Church Is Subject of Article
Quaint Old Edifice Lies Hidden in Wilderness of Undergrowth
in Kenton-co.
(The following is an article written for The Kentucky Post
by Ivanora Hume, Walton, Ky.)
In the southern part of Kenton county, on the Green road
(once known as the Cruise Creek road) in a place appearing
to be only a wilderness of undergrowth and vines, is the site
of the old Cruise Creek Church.
By forcing a way through this jungle you can find a few
old mossy headstones with their weeping willow trees and roses
carved above the names, and the dim legends below telling
the virtues of the dear departed. Some of the stones elaborately
carved on yellow sandstone show home workmanship.
No Record of Founding
No record has been found of when the church was organized.
There is mention of services being held there in 1820. The
original building must have been of logs. The last one was
brick. The plot of ground was perhaps purchased from Col.
Ben Northcutt who owned a large tract of land adjoining.
It was a cool, pleasant place in summer, shaded by ancient
oaks and evergreens with the soft scented breeze coming in
through the windows, so pleasant that it lulled some of the
men to sleep during the long-drawn-out sermons while the women
perhaps were kept wide awake with thinking about how many
they would have to ask to go home with them to dinner.
Rules Were Strict
For some years there was a large attendance, many coming
from quite a distance for those days of horse-drawn vehicles
and horse-back-riders, so the "brothers" and "sisters"
living nearest the church usually had capacity crowds to entertain
over the week-end. These being the Humes, Stephens, Northcutts,
Swetmans, Glenns and others. William Hume, living near, was
pastor there for a number of years until his death in 1849.
The rules of the church was very strict, one of them being
that the members must not join any secret organization. Javan
Swetman got "churched" for joining the Grange, an
agricultural association. He was finally reinstated by promising
to have nothing more to do with such things. Hymns were "lined"
and sung but no musical instruments
were allowed in the church. The members were called "Old
School Baptists."
Other churches on this circuit were Gunpowder, Salem, Four
Mile and Dry Creek. Among the ministers who served them were
William Hume, Lewis, Conner, James Finnell, Buford Rice and
Ben Lampton. The last ones to hold meetings at Cruise Creek
were "Uncle Ed Stephens" and Sam Williams in 1885(6?)
Stone Dated 1834
The earliest date of burial that was found on the headstones
in the church was 1834, the latest was 1886. Though there
were quite a number of people buried there, most of the stones
have fallen and are covered with the decayed vegetation of
years and overgrown with myrtle. If we knew all the history
of this old church and the people who gathered together there
how interesting it would be.
We try to conjure pictures of it but the only thing left
is the names on a few crumbling old grave stones. The only
legible ones are:
Mary Trues died 1834
Columbus J. Babby, died 1840
Marya Agness, wife of Joel Moffet, died 1856
Nancy Glenn, died 1847
James K. Glenn, died 1854
Louise Glenn, died 1855
Elizabeth, wife of Watson Setphens(sic), died 1851
Benjamin Northcutt, died 1855
Elizabeth, wife of Robert Holiday, died 1872
James Henry, infant son of Susan and William
Stephens, died 1841
Rebecca McCarty, died 1859
Sara McCarty, died 1869
Daniel McCarty, died 1886.
Transcribed by Frank
Gruber
