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Garrard County · Frontier · 1781

The Travelling Church, 1781

In fall–winter 1781, Rev. Lewis Craig led roughly 200 Baptists and about 400 other settlers from Spotsylvania County, Virginia—the largest single pioneer party yet to enter the Kentucky District.

AI illustration of Lewis Craig
Lewis Craig AI illustration · Kentucky History Drive; no known likeness exists

Capt. William Ellis guided the train through Cumberland Gap; they raised a fortified meetinghouse and Craig's Station at Gilbert's Creek (near present Lancaster) that December. Members later founded Gilbert's Creek Baptist (still active), South Elkhorn, Clear Creek, and other congregations that seeded central Kentucky's Baptist landscape.

Lewis's brother Elijah stayed behind in Virginia awhile to press for religious liberty with James Madison before following west.

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Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "The Travelling Church, 1781." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 27, 2026. Last revised September 27, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/the-travelling-church-1781/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "The Travelling Church, 1781." Kentucky History Drive, published 27 Sept. 2026, last revised 27 Sept. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/the-travelling-church-1781/.

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