According to Ida B. Holsclaw in her booklet titled Trail of the Little Flock the first house of worship for the Little Flock church was a stone house located on Pennsylvania Run Creek near where it flows into Cedar Creek.
Tradition has it that the house was built by Peter Smith.
May 13, 1813 a tract of one acre of land near the junction of Pennsylvania Run and Cedar Creek was conveyed by Benjamin Summers and wife to John Beckwith for the use of the Baptists in the neighborhood. One week in every month and to any preacher or other denomination the residue of the month. The deed is transcribed below.
Bullitt County Deed Book B, Pages 674-5
This indenture made the fifteenth day of May in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirteen between Benjamin Summers and Volunda Summers his wife of the county of Bullitt and Commonwealth of Kentucky of the one part and John Beckwith of the same county of the other part, witnesseth that the said Benjamin and Volinda, to promote religion and in consideration of one dollar to them in hand paid, have given, granted, bargained and sold, and by these presents do give, bargain, sell, alien, release, convey and confirm unto the said John Beckwith a certain tract or parcel of land containing one acre more or less, lying in said county on Pennsylvania Run and near the junction of said run with Cedar Creek, Beginning at a stone on the southeast side of said run about two poles from the bank and about thirty one years[? possibly "yards"] from the upper spring on said run, thence East thirteen poles to a stone, thence North thirteen poles to a stone, thence West thirteen poles to a stone, and thence South thirteen poles to the Beginning, and upon which a meeting house has been lately built with its appurtenances. To have and to hold the said one acre of land with its appurtenances to the said John Beckwith, his heirs and assigns forever in trust for the use of the Baptist society in the neighborhood of and around said land one week every month commencing on Saturday and for the use of every preacher or society of any other denomination the residue of the month, and that he and his heirs shall permit the said land and meeting house so to be used for divine worship forever with permission and right to use the said upper spring whilst attending divine worship on said land or at said meeting house which right is hereby also granted the said Benjamin and Volinda for themselves, their heirs, and covenant with the said John, his heirs that they will forever warrant and defend said land against themselves, their heirs and all persons claiming thro or under them, but not against the claims of any other person whatsoever, nor will they in case of any pursuant title be answerable in any way on account thereof. In witness whereof they have hereunto set their hands and seals this 15th May 1813. (signed)Benjamin Summers
Bullitt County Sct I Frederic W. S. Grayson, Clerk of the County Court in and for the County aforesaid, do hereby certify that on the 5th day of the present month the within indenture was acknowledged by Benjamin Summers to be his voluntary act and deed, whereupon I have recorded the said indenture together with this certificate in my office as required by law. Witness my hand this 28th day of May 1813. (signed) Frederic W. S. Grayson, CBCC
In 1818 it was agreed to build a thirty-foot addition to this stone house and Brothers Thomas Sanders, John Beckwith, and Samuel Pharis were named as a committee to attend to the matter.
On the 12th day of May 1845, the above mentioned church lot on which stood a stone building was conveyed back to Benjamin Summers on consideration of a conveyance by him to the Baptist Church on one and one-half acres of land on Sanders Branch on which had been built a brick church known as Little Flock.
There was some doubt that the church had the authority to transfer the land back to Summers, so an Act of the General Assembly was obtained to allow it. That act is transcribed below.
CHAPTER 80.
AN ACT for the benefit of the Baptist Church in Bullitt county.
WHEREAS, doubts have arisen whether the Baptist Church in Bullitt county, on Cedar creek, have the right to convey a lot of one acre of ground to Benjamin Summers, in lieu of one acre and a half which the said Summers has conveyed, or is willing to convey to the said Baptist Church—for remedy whereof,
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, That Robert Gailbreath, Minister of the Baptist Church on Cedar creek, in Bullitt county, shall be, and he is hereby vested with full power to convey the one acre of ground before mentioned, to the said Benjamin Summers, and such conveyance shall be as good and valid in law and equity as if made in any other way; and the said Benjamin Summers may convey to said Church, and said Church receive and hold the one and a half acres, together with the new Church thereon, in said county, on the waters of Sanders' run, and the said conveyance to said Church, their Trustees and their successors in office, shall be good and valid in law, to all intents and purposes: Provided, Said Baptist Church shall first give their assent, in writing, authorizing said sale and conveyance, and cause the same to be entered in their record book, and shall file an abstract of said assent in the office of the Clerk of the Bullitt County Court.
Approved, January 29, 1844.
page 126
Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky Passed at December Session, 1843.
The deed that transferred the land back to the Summers family is transcribed below.
Bullitt County Deed Book K, Pages 377-8
Whereas Benjamin Summers and wife on the 15 May 1813 conveyed to John Beckwith in trust for the use of the Baptist Church one acre of land in Bullitt County on Pennsylvania Run and near the junction of said run with Cedar Creek, see deed of the date above of record in Bullitt County Court Office in deed book B, page 674, will show the boundaries etc. and since which time the said Baptist Church, called Little Flock, have sold said lot of ground to Benjamin Summers in exchange for and with said Benjamin Summers for about one and a half acres on Sanders' branch in said county whereon they have erected a new brick church house, and doubts arose whether the church could convey the said one acre of land to said Benjamin Summers, and to enable the said church to convey the said lot, the Legislature passed an act approved 29th January 1844 authorizing and consenting to the said sale and conveyances to said Summers, and allowing Robert Gailbreath, pastor of said church, to convey said lot of one acre to said Benjamin Summers, and the said church passed an order at their regular meeting in June 1844 authorizing and consenting to the said sale and conveyance to said Summers which order is of record on the minutes of said church and on file in the office of the Bullitt County Court in these words: "The Baptist church called Little Flock in Bullitt County, Kentucky at a regular meeting in the month of June 1844, unanimously agree that Robert Gailbreath, the pastor of the said church, convey to Benjamin Summers of the said county or his heirs the lot of ground in which the stone meeting house stands in the County of Bullitt and State of Kentucky, lying and being at the junction of Cedar Creek and Pennsylvania Run, which agreement is recorded in a book of record kept by said church for mates and bounds see the deed from B. Summers to Beckwith & Sanders in your office - James Wells, Clerk." And said Benjamin Summers, having since the periods aforesaid departed this life, and his estate having been sold by his Executor, and the lands of said Summers around and including this one acre have been sold to Benjamin F. Summers, son of said Benjamin Summers, said deed is to be by consent made to the said Benjamin F. Summers instead of said Benjamin Summers for said stone meeting house and one acre of ground around the same on Pennsylvania run aforesaid. Wherefore in consideration of the premises said Robert Gailbreath, pastor of the said Little Flock Baptist Church in Bullitt County has sold and conveyed, and does hereby sell and convey for and on behalf the said church unto him the said Benjamin F. Summers and to his heirs forever the said one acre of land on Pennsylvania run including said stone meeting house aforesaid being the same land etc. conveyed by Benjamin Summers to J. Beckwith in trust for said church as aforesaid by deed as herein set forth, and said Robert Gailbreath, pastor of said Little Flock Baptist Church, for and behalf the said church does hereby as fully as he is authorized by the act of assembly and church aforesaid, warrant and defend said lot of one acre of land and appurtenances aforesaid to him said Benjamin F. Summers and to his heirs forever against the claims of said church and all others as fully as he can do by virtue of the authority to him for said purpose aforesaid without individual responsibility. Witness the name and seal of said Robert Gailbreath, pastor of said Little Flock Church in Bullitt County, the date aforesaid, towit, 12 May 1845. (signed) Robert Gailbreath
State of Kentucky
Bullitt County Towit
I Noah C. summers, clerk of the County Court for said County, certify that this deed from the Little Flock Baptist Church of Bullitt County by their pastor Robert Gailbreath to Benjamin F. Summers was the twelfth day of May, one thousand eight hundred and forty-five produced to me in my office and acknowledged and delivered by the said Robert Gailbreath, pastor of said Baptist Church, to be his act and deed for and behalf of said church for the purposes therein named, whereupon I have this 24th day of May 1845 truly recorded said deed and this certificate in my said office. Att. Noah C. Summers, CBCC
The following image is taken from a 1955 topographical map, and shows the location of the second Little Flock Church near the left side of the image. The first stone church was located near where Pennsylvania Run enters Cedar Creek.
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The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 12 Sep 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/little_flock.html
