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Deer Creek Church to celebrate 200 years
Two-day services will mark the 200th anniversary of Deer Creek Primitive Baptist Church in Warren Township.
Elder Ed Waggle from Zoar Church in Mattoon, Ill., will be preaching Saturday morning, Sept. 30 at 10:30 a.m. A pitch-in lunch will take place, and services will be held again at approximately 2 p.m.
On Oct. 1, Sunday services will take place at 10:30 a.m.
Deer Creek Church was constituted on Oct. 4, 1823. A few months later, 3.75 acres was purchased for $4.50 from William McCarty. Members donated 25 cents each to make the purchase.
A log building was built, then later replaced by the current building in 1867.
The graveyard was started when one of the first church members, Peter Cotton, was killed while falling trees to build the original log cabin.
The first ordained minister was Elder Samuel Arthur; with the first deacon, Brother Absalom Hurst; and the first clerk, Brother John Sherrill.
The church still has the original minutes, kept for 200 years.
Currently, the minister is Elder Kevin Freeman, assisted by Elder Larry Hurst, who has preached for more than 50 years. Hurst points out that he has attended for “over 85 years,” considering that his mother was attending Deer Creek Church while she was pregnant.
In fact, nine generations of the Hurst family have attended the church, with Elder Hurst’s daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Tim Gould, installing new floor joists in the 156-year-old building last year. The logs of the original floor beams remain in place.
The public is invited to attend the anniversary services. Deer Creek Church is located at 5932 S. CR 250 East (south of U.S. 40), Greencastle. Anyone with questions may contact Mary Gould, clerk/treasurer, at 653-3709.
