Pleasant Ridge/Kentucky Ridge Regular Baptist Church

The church and cemetery are located in Jackson Township, Greene County on Indiana State Highway 58 at Road 750E, which is 4 miles west of the Town of Owensburg.

It was organized officially 25 Sep 1843. A typewritten transcript of the first minutes is dated 28 September 1843. The minutes for this meeting and the meeting of November 11th. Tells of the details and the members.

On 16 Nov. 1843, the Regular Baptist Council, White River Association, met and accepted the Pleasant Ridge Regular Baptist Church of Christ application.

Most early records of the church have been lost but by what records exist and word of mouth it is said that they met in private homes until 1854.

In March 1875 - by the minutes the church was re-organized or split and was organized under the Richland Association. This mintues book has pages 1-18, which takes it to an October 1880 meeting. and it is missing pages in between and starts at 101 which has the heading Rules... 101-104 and then missing pages again begining at 111-12 undated contains a list of members.

The land for the church was donated by James Records.

The First burial in the church cemtery was the grandson of James Records - James R. Simpson and son of L. and M. J. Simpson. He was killed during he building of the church in 1854. He had brought lunch from home to his grandfather and a timber fell on him.

In 1886 the church became divided because of Sister Ann McArter who had been baptized into the church on 6 May 1882. The matter was settled on 6 Nov. 1886 when she wrote and asked that her name be excluded and it was granted. She wrote:

I want my name taken off the Church Book. I am dissatisfied the way part of them are going to and think I can live a Christain out of the church as well as in it and I don't desire to stay in the Church any longer. I do thank the Brethern and Sisters of this Church all that they hve held up for me in my Church trail. I was guilty of part but getting drunk I was not.

This was due to her behavior on 15 January 1884 when she attended a neighbor's dance and had danced and was also charged with intoxication. A church trail was held and the plaintiff within the church brought witnesses in agaist Sister Mc Arter who were not members. This was protesed by Sister Mc Arter, and stating that she could of brought in many out side witnesses in her own defense. Some of the members treaten to withdraw their membership if Sister Mc Arter was not dismissed and others spoke highly of her.

During the winter of 1886-1887 38 new members had joined the church and their baptism was held off till 8 May 1887 when the branch water had warmed-up enough to allow for baptismal services.

Sister Sarah Hostetler was awarded the contract as low bidder to do all the sweeping, building the fires and lamp lighing for the sum of $1 pre month and the contract was made for 1 year. This is noted in the business meeting of 3 March 1888.

The minutes of the business meeting of 3 November 1888 states the the pastor for the previous year had been paid $66, 10 bushels of whet, 15 bushels of corn, 2 handkerchiefs and 18 pounds of dried peaches.

In the later part of the 19 ^th century another division occurred headed by Abraham Fines because he was not granted membership because of being divorced. Mr. Fines decided to build his own church on the same grounds and presented plans to the existing church 18 Jan. 1895. On 2 March 1895 they were granted use of the church until their new church was built. And on 1 Apr. 1895 the minutes revealed that 24 members left which included an elder and joined the New Missionary Church and also revels that the Use of the church by the group was rescinded.

Records of 4 Feb. 1899 shows officers as:

they were to collect subscriptions for a new church house to be built on the old church lot of the Regular Baptist in Jackson Townnship, Greene, County, Indiana called Pleeasant Ridge Church and Brother P. F. Wollam, building commissioner or foreman to be commenced on Monday, the 26th of February 1899.

Friction occurred between both churches.

Yet Mr. Fines did get his new church the "New Hope Baptict Church" and that he did receive support from the existing church. Friction between the two churches develeoped - many families divided their loyalties to the two churches and it even included threats of dividing the cemetery in whihc each church would maintain separate sections. The New Hope Baptist church failed and about 1921 was tore down and dismantled and moved to Koleen where it was still in use in 1989.

The period between 1843 and 1900 151 members were excluded from the Chruch because of public disorder, but the details were not stated.

From the organization of the church until 1900, 151 members were excluded from the Church, mostly for disorderly conduct in public. Details were not given.

The unofficially name of Kentucky Ridge Church came about because of all the Kentuckians who settled in the immediate area. No official record has ever been found that the names was changed from Pleasant Ridge Church.

Cleaning Day at Kentucky Pleasant Ridge Church also appears, although faint, to be written Baptist Church of Pleasant Ridge, 9 September 1900.

This photo was taken about 1904 inside the church and shows the back of the church and contains four generations of the Sango-Walters-Jackson-Porter-Staggers families

The church fell into reduced usage about 1936 when the government bought up land south of highway 45 [which later became a part of Crane Naval Weapon Depot] ; many families moved from the area during this time. In 1989 it was still going and growing steadily.

Sister Selma Smith kept the church open and clean. In 1989 it was growing steadily under the leadership of Pastor Steve Wright.

The church and the Cemetery Association for many years joined hands and held a "June Meeting Day" which cinsisted of a pitch-in dinner and a church program in the afternoon.

In 1950 the cemetery association was formed and the cemetery cleared of briars, brush and mowed. Additional land was purchased and other improvements such as a flag pole, bulletin board, an outside table constructed and the cemetery was mapped out; a cemetery fund was created. There is over 700 people buried there.

Last updated 22.10.2009