Happy crowds like the one shown here gathered at the river for"baptizings" usually on Sunday afternoons. There was hardly a baptising that half the population of Harlan attended. For the occasion, the ladies always wore hats and their best Sunday dresses.

Long ago the churches of Harlan had no pools. The other means of baptizing was the river. The Sunday following a revival was usually baptizing day. The scene shown here was in Sunshine.

Most of the places were near a large shade tree. All that was need be done was to announce the hour and everyone would be there. In the summer the ladies brought their fans and stood under the trees to shade themselves from the sun.

There were many spots all along the banks of the river where baptizings were held. Down by the old mill at the end of Main street bridge was a favorite place.

Wool Dresses Popular

"I've seen them cut the ice in the winter at night and perform a baptizing", an old timer said. Of course Sunday afternoons were more appropriate. More people attended too.

Most every woman who was going to be baptized wore a wool or lindsey dress in water because the garments were better for fording through the river after they were wet. Friends or neighbors waited on the bank with dry clothes to wrap around them.

The Rev. J.W. Daughtery, pastor of one of the first Christian Churches, is the minister shown in the picture. Some of the persons who came to the baptizing were "Uncle Albert Ball, "Ma" Baker, Elhanon Smith, "Aunt" Sudie Ward, Sada Gregory Rutherford, and Martha Smith.

The Rev. J. W. Mahan "preached" two Sundays out of each month in Harlan, one in Wallins and the other some where else in the county.

Fond Of Fried Chicken

Most preachers are said to be very fond of fried chicken and I suppose these were no different. An old timer remembers when she was a small child and the pastor came to their house for dinner.

" I creeped around the table to see how much chicken would be left for the second table. We children always ate the remains and were pretty concerned about what was going to be left," she said.

Another old timer remembers when she was a small girl the preacher always visited their house. Her mother furnished the preacher with plenty of buttermilk while he was holding a revival. He never liked to eat heavy during a revival.

Rode Horse Back

The Rev. Will Fee, a Baptist minister rode horse back over the county to hold revivals. Other pioneer ministers were the Rev. J.H. Blackburn, the Rev. W.H. Shoemaker and the Rev. T.G. Harris.

The Rev. Ran Browning held revivals at the first Baptist Church on Central Street many years ago. The early preachers who went for miles and miles on horse back to their churches were known as circuit riders.

Sunday March 1, 1953

Volume 52 Number 50

Pages 1 & 8

Click here to return to Main Harlan County Page