Red River Meeting House
Encyclopedia
The Red River Meeting House was the site of the first religious camp meeting
in the United States and the start of the Second Great Awakening
from June 13–17, 1800. The meeting was organized by Reverend James McGready
(also spelled M’Gready) in Logan County, Kentucky
.
.
A letter from McGready to a friend dated October 23, 1801, described the meeting.
Barton W. Stone
was one observer of the events and also recorded a description.
A more recent analysis by Paul Conkin downplays the significance of the Red River meeting. He states that McGready was only one of several preachers at the event, and it was McGready's widely-circulated, yet exaggerated account which developed most people's perception of the event.
. The church building collapsed in 1856, and the adjacent cemetery expanded onto the site of the original cabin. A white framed church was built nearby but was torn down in 1929 due to deterioration and disuse. A log cabin believed to resemble the original style was built in 1959. It burned due to an unknown cause on May 2, 1992. The Red River Meeting House and Cemetery Association was formed to raise funds for a replacement, which was constructed in May 1994.
Kentucky Historical Marker
71 erected at the intersection of U.S. Highway 431 and Route 663 states: "Three miles east is site of early pioneer church. Organized by 'A Society of Presbyterians,' 1789. Here the Great Revival of 1800 was conducted by the Rev. James McGready. First camp meeting held here."
The adjacent cemetery contains the graves of numerous veterans of the Revolutionary War
and the War of 1812
. The gravestone of William McPherson is engraved with the Twenty-third Psalm
in Gaelic
.
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1976.
along Route 663 and the Red River
in Logan County, Kentucky
.
The site is privately owned but is open to the public from dawn to dusk and does not charge admission. There are no interpretive signs or facilities.
Camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
in the United States and the start of the Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
from June 13–17, 1800. The meeting was organized by Reverend James McGready
James McGready
Rev. James McGready was a Presbyterian minister and a revivalist during the Second Great Awakening in the United States of America. He was one of the most important figures of the Second Great Awakening in the American frontier.- Early life :...
(also spelled M’Gready) in Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...
.
First Camp Meeting
There were several hundred people in attendance from Friday through Tuesday. The attendees were mostly from McGready’s churches at Red River, Muddy River, and Gasper RiverGasper River
The Gasper River is a river in southwestern Kentucky, USA. It flows northeasterly into the Barren River. It is a rural river; the only town near it is Hadley in Warren County. It begins in northeast Logan County, and the river also flows through Warren and Logan counties...
.
A letter from McGready to a friend dated October 23, 1801, described the meeting.
Barton W. Stone
Barton W. Stone
Barton Warren Stone was an important preacher during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. He was first ordained a Presbyterian minister, then was expelled from the church after the Cane Ridge, Kentucky revival for his stated beliefs in faith as the sole prerequisite for salvation...
was one observer of the events and also recorded a description.
A more recent analysis by Paul Conkin downplays the significance of the Red River meeting. He states that McGready was only one of several preachers at the event, and it was McGready's widely-circulated, yet exaggerated account which developed most people's perception of the event.
History
The first settlers of European descent in the area were Ambrose Maulding and his family in 1780. They established what became known as Maulding’s Station or Maulding's Fort. The original church building in this area was built between 1789 and 1792 and is described by some as the first Cumberland Presbyterian ChurchCumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
. The church building collapsed in 1856, and the adjacent cemetery expanded onto the site of the original cabin. A white framed church was built nearby but was torn down in 1929 due to deterioration and disuse. A log cabin believed to resemble the original style was built in 1959. It burned due to an unknown cause on May 2, 1992. The Red River Meeting House and Cemetery Association was formed to raise funds for a replacement, which was constructed in May 1994.
Kentucky Historical Marker
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
71 erected at the intersection of U.S. Highway 431 and Route 663 states: "Three miles east is site of early pioneer church. Organized by 'A Society of Presbyterians,' 1789. Here the Great Revival of 1800 was conducted by the Rev. James McGready. First camp meeting held here."
The adjacent cemetery contains the graves of numerous veterans of the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. The gravestone of William McPherson is engraved with the Twenty-third Psalm
Psalm 23
In the 23rd Psalm in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, the writer describes God as his Shepherd. The text, beloved by Jews and Christians alike, is often alluded to in popular media and has been set to music....
in Gaelic
Goidelic languages
The Goidelic languages or Gaelic languages are one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic languages, the other consisting of the Brythonic languages. Goidelic languages historically formed a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland through the Isle of Man to the north of Scotland...
.
The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1976.
Location
The site is located three miles (5 km) east of U.S. Route 431U.S. Route 431
U.S. Route 431 is a spur of U.S. Route 31. It currently runs for 556 miles from Owensboro, Kentucky at U.S. Route 60 to Dothan, Alabama, at U.S. Route 231 and U.S. Route 84. Through many parts of US 431 it is a two lane with not many places of it being a four lane highway.-Alabama:U.S. 431 is...
along Route 663 and the Red River
Red River (Tennessee-Kentucky)
The Red River, long, is a major stream of north-central Tennessee and south-central Kentucky and a major tributary of the Cumberland River....
in Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...
.
Current Use
A primitive camp meeting and rendezvous is held annually on the grounds during the local Tobacco & Heritage Festival (second weekend in October). The Red River Meeting House and Cemetery Association holds its annual meeting on the grounds on the second Sunday in September.The site is privately owned but is open to the public from dawn to dusk and does not charge admission. There are no interpretive signs or facilities.
External links
- Red River Meeting House, web site about the meeting house
- Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
- Tobacco and Heritage Festival
- Presbyterian Voice article
- Biography of McGready at the Historical Foundation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Further reading
- Christian Life, America’s Great Revivals, Bethany House Publishers, Minneapolis, MN, ISBN 0-87123-003-8
- Boles, John B, Religion in Antebellum Kentucky, ISBN 0-8131-0844-6