Lexington Christian Church

From "Lexington" by Mary Wilson and Sharon Y. Asher, published sometime after 1975.

HISTORY OF THE LEXINGTON CHRISTIAN CHURCH

The Restoration Movement was finding its way to Scott County about the time that Walter Scott began preaching on the Western Reserve.

In 1815, Dr. Jonathan Hardy and his family moved from Vermont to Scott County, Indiana, and settled on Fourteen-Mile Creek. A New Light preacher, Jesse Huges, came through the community in 1819 and Dr. Hardy and his family accepted the teaching and were baptized. They continued in this teaching until 1827, when Dr. Hardy accidentally came across a copy of the Christian Baptist. Here he discovered the scriptural teaching concerning conversion and pardon. After careful examination he embraced the new teaching.

Immediately thereafter Dr. Hardy became the target of abuse, criticism, and opposition from his former religious associates. His wife even resisted the new teaching for six months before she accepted the belief that baptism was for the remission of sins. Despite opposition, Dr. Hardy continued to study and preach to those about him.

Sometime after this a man named Dowden preached New Testament Christianity on Fourteen-Mile Creek. This is the first record of a preacher bringing the message to Scott County. Several of the New Light brethren accepted the new teaching and became the nucleus of the first Christian Church in the County. Cyrus Crosby, a Christian preacher, organized the Church in the Spring of 1832. From then, until his death in 1836, Dr. Hardy led the church that was later called the Concord Christian Church.

The congregation grew until the small church was unable to hold the large membership. As a result members decided to move the place of assembly to Lexington, three miles distant.

THE LEXINGTON CHURCH

The Christian Church at Lexington was begun by members of the church at Concord on Fourteen-Mile Creek, about three miles southeast of Lexington. Many of the people had moved into Lexington or farther north, and decided that it was too far to ride back to Concord on horseback. Consequently, about 1839 or 1840, they began to meet in Lexington as it was more centrally located. They met mostly in the courthouse and brick school house.

The church people worshipped in borrowed buildings for several years. John B. New, Jessie Navity and Wesley Hartley, all pioneer ministers of Southern Indiana, preached for the people during this early period.

On April 26, 1852, the following data was filed in the Scott County Recorder' s Office :

This is to certify that notice, being given by posting notices in three places ten day previous, that an election would take place on the 17th of April 1852 by the Christian Church to elect trustees for said church, it being in contemplation to purchase a lot to erect a meeting house. Accordingly, the said church met in Lexington on the 17th day of April 1852; after appointing J. H. Hardy Clerk, said election proceeded to elect three trustees whereupon Henry Hollenback, Albert G. Mace and Clinton R. Hardy were elected on unanimous vote.

Two lots were purchased from I. N. White for the sum of $40. The design of the church building was typical of that time. The cost of the building was approximately $2,000 which was met by the brethren without help from any other congregation.

The church was a brick building, the bricks having been burned and donated by Barlow Hardy and his son John Hardy. Albert G. Mace prepared and placed the stone for the threshold of the church and Clinton Hardy hauled from Madison by mule team the long iron rods which support the brick walls.

Harriet Hardy, a descendant of the Lexington Hardys, gives some early customs of the Lexington church which are interesting and, no doubt, reflect the early life of churches in Scott County:

The women always wore big split sunbonnets; not print, but calico. Some of the best were made of black alpaca. In cool weather they wore homespun shoulder shawls. These were not worn because of the particular style, but because the people came by wagon in sunshine or rain and needed such clothing for protection. The men wore homemade jeans.

In winter, after people got to church they sat first in the pew next to the stove. Then, according to an unwritten law, they moved back into the church so that new comers might warm by the fire.

On each side of the pulpit were two posts. Two of these were for lamps and on the other two sat two pitchers of water. These were for the preacher 's use and also for the convenience of the mothers. The sermons were long and, when a child became fretful during a long service, it was considered quite all right for the mother to take her baby there for a drink of water. It didn't bother the preacher; he went right on preaching, and the congregation thought nothing of it. *Harriet Hardy, "History of the Lexington Christian Church, Lexington, Scott County, Indiana." (1940)

In those early days the church had only quarter-time preaching. The Lord's Supper was partaken of only every other Sunday. The church afterwards began observing it every Sunday. When the preacher was not present, functions called "social meetings" were held consisting of short sermons delivered by the brethren for the instruction and edification of the church.

From its founding until 1900, the Lexington Christian Church enjoyed a continual growth. It was the leading Christian Church in Scott County until the Scottsburg Christian Church began to grow rapidly.

In 1963 the Christian Church membership purchased a lot next to the Church lot. There a new modern manse was built. Although its membership has grown smaller in number in recent years, the Church is still functioning as an integral part of the Lexington community today.

MINISTERS OF THE LEXINGTON CHRISTIAN CHURCH

John B. New 1839
Jessie Navity
John Herod
Wesley Hartley 1852-1853
Alpheus Brown 1854
Wesley Hartley 1855-1856
Vaden Smith 1857-1888 (at various times)
James Lanham 1860-1863
Wesley Hartley 1854-1865
William Hough 1866
James Ludwig 1867
Jacob Chriss 1868
Wesley Hartley 1869-1870
Robert L. Howe 1870-1875
Harry Jackson 1875-1879
Charles Manker 1880
John Brazelton 1881-1882
Robert L. Howell 1883-1884
Harry Jackson 1875-1879
Charles Manker 1880
John Brazelton 1881-1882
Robert L. Howell 1883-1884
Harry Jackson 1885-1889
H. A. Tritt 1890-1891
Charles Hudson 1892
J. C. Anderson 1893-1894
J. C. Burkhart 1895-1896
Persey Kendall 1897-1901
1902
W. H. Alford 1903
J. L. Mise 1904
W H. Alford 1905-1906
Cecil H. Miley 1906-1908
T. R. Davies 1909-1910
1911-1913
Frank A. Coyle 1914-1916
1917-1920
O. O. Kirkham 1921-1922
J. E. Johnson 1923-1924
Morris Wilson 1925-1926
C. O. Callahan 1927-1933
Harold Dunson 1934-1935
Ralph O. Cope 1935-1937
Barton A. Dowdy 1938-1939
William Clague 1939-1940
Joseph W Burns 1941-1943
C. C. Callahan 1944-1946
Eugene Houpt 1948-1950
Elvin E. Gray 1950-1952
Carl Anderson 1952-1956
Ben J. Mills 1956-1958
Ronald Fox 1958-1960
Jack Shipley (Student) 1960-1961
Charles R. Hegenberger 1961-1965
Richard Roth 1965-1968
William L. Thompson 1968-1970
George Clodfelter 1970-1973
William E. Arkeman 1974-1975
James William Hancock 1975

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