South Eklhorn Christian Church celebrates 250th anniversary

Current and former pastors of Lexington’s South Elkhorn Christian Church joined other dignitaries to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the congregation, with the dedication of a Bluegrass Trust plaque unveiled May 21 on the exterior of the church’s historic sanctuary, built in 1870. From left, Bill McDonald, Jerry Shepard, Bob Bradley, Evelyn Cartmill, Mickey Anders, Jan Ehrmantraut, associate pastor Holly Fuqua, pastor Michael Swartzentruber, 10th District Council Rep. Amanda Bledsoe, and Blue Grass Trust executive director Sheila Ferrell. Ashleigh Freda

South Elkhorn Christian Church celebrated the 250th anniversary of its founding in Spottsylvania, Va., on May 21. During the ceremony, a Blue Grass Trust plaque was unveiled on the side of the church's historic sanctuary, which was built in 1870.

The South Elkhorn congregation is one of the oldest continuously operating institutions of any kind in Central Kentucky, founded 25 years before Kentucky became a state. It is one of the four oldest churches in the Disciples of Christ denomination.

The congregation was founded eight years before Col. Robert Patterson encamped at McConnell Springs and located in Kentucky the year before the city of Lexington was chartered.

Lewis Craig was the first pastor of the congregation, and his brother Elijah, also a minister, is better known as one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry in Kentucky. At one point in the church’s history, the pastor was paid in bourbon.

For more information, go to Southelkhorncc.org.

This story was originally published June 5, 2017 at 1:54 PM with the headline "South Elkhorn Christian Church celebrates 250th anniversary."

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