Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
A wide variety of churches have existed and thrived in Harrison County throughout its history.
In this week’s Flashback, we’ll look back at a few churches that are no longer standing but were once important centers of their surrounding rural communities.
Old Goshen Baptist
Old Goshen Baptist Church is credited with being the first church built in Harrison County and the second-oldest Baptist church in Indiana. Moses Boone, son of Squire Boone, and George Bartley built the log church on Boone’s farm about two and a half miles north of Laconia in 1813. The men used poplar and oak logs to construct the 20 x 30 ft. building, a simple structure. Baptists used the structure for over sixty years, followed by congregations of Dunkards and United Brethren.
Around 1900, the building was largely abandoned. The local community, however, continued to use it occasionally as a school, meeting hall, and reunion site. Despite repairs and alterations over the decades, the building’s condition has deteriorated. Concern for the historic structure prompted local citizens to urge the State of Indiana to preserve the site, and in 1943, the Indiana General Assembly approved an act making Old Goshen Church and Cemetery an official Indiana Memorial. The Department of Conservation was authorized to maintain and preserve the building and grounds. Unfortunately, no funding was appropriated to fulfill this promise, and the property continued to decline. After several years of the state’s inaction and neglect, local citizens formed the Old Goshen Church and Cemetery Foundation in 1955. The state deeded the property to the Foundation, but by the early 1960,s the old log structure was in an advanced stage of decay. It was torn down in August 1961. In 1991, the Foundation constructed a reproduction of the original log church on the site.
Luther’s Chapel
Luther’s Chapel was constructed in 1844 along what is now Old Forest Road. Its Lutheran congregation formed under the leadership of Reverend Peter Glenn as a splinter group from Mt. Solomon Evangelical Lutheran Church. During the Civil War, Glenn, a staunch abolitionist, was shot and killed during an encounter with the Confederates as they came through Harrison County in July 1863. The Luther’s Chapel congregation continued for a number of years, but it eventually dissolved and sold the building to a Methodist group in 1897. Services were discontinued in the church, and it was razed in 1914.
Shiloh United Brethren
This frame, gable-front church was constructed south of Corydon ca. 1854. The congregation formed around 1837 in the vicinity of Jordan Cemetery along the Corydon-Mauckport Road (now Old 135). In the late 1840s, members decided to build a church but were divided on where to site it. Those who lived closer to Corydon wanted it on a road near town. Others found the Jordan Cemetery area more convenient. The “town” group eventually split from the congregation to construct a church in their preferred location. The Jordan group stayed in their area and built the Shiloh church. Shiloh United Brethren closed in 1926, and the church was torn down in 1950.
Wood’s Chapel
The Wood’s Chapel congregation was organized in 1836 in the Hurstown area. The building pictured here was the third church built by the congregation. The first was a basic structure built in 1841, and the second was completed in 1881. The congregation constructed its third church building, seen above, in the early 1950s. Services were first held in the building on January 13, 1953. In 1970, the Wood’s Chapel congregation merged with four other Methodist congregations (Depauw, Louden’s Chapel, Pennington Chapel, and Ramsey) to form Unity Chapel. This new organization constructed a large, modern church building in the Ramsey area in 1972. After this, the Wood’s Chapel Church was razed.
To see and learn about additional churches, visit the Harrison County Churches collection. Images of several Harrison County churches are also available in the Walter and Mina Fried Slide Collection.