United Methodist Temple
Russellville, Logan County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
United Methodist Temple. Began 1808 as Methodist Society in home of Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Emmit with ten charter members. Bibb, Caldwell, Morton, and Barclay among first families. Early minister H. H. Kavanaugh became a noted bishop. First church was built ca. 1819 at site of Russellville Middle School. Present church completed, 1854; A.M.E. Zion Church formed, 1872. The temple was remodeled in 1917. (Reverse) United Methodist Temple - Church became known as a temple after a news story praised its windows during 1917 renovation. Its first pipe organ was provided by matching funds from Andrew Carnegie. Here, on Christian Heritage Day 1965, Logan Countians honored the memory of John Littlejohn and other circuit riders of all faiths. Over. Presented by Rena Milliken.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Methodism took root in Russellville in 1808, when ten charter members gathered in a private home on the Kentucky frontier. The congregation raised its first church around 1819 and completed the present sanctuary in 1854, later earning the name "temple" when a 1917 renovation's stained-glass windows drew public praise. The building even gained a pipe organ funded in part by Andrew Carnegie, and in 1872 the community also saw the formation of an A.M.E. Zion congregation.
Why it matters
The temple traces two centuries of religious and community life in western Kentucky, including the circuit-riding preachers who carried faith across a young nation's backcountry.
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Related people
- · H. H. Kavanaugh
- · Josiah Emmit
- · John Littlejohn
- · Andrew Carnegie
Themes & tags
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