BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Creative community members are rallying to save the Rockcastle United Baptist Church, established in 1821 and a primary founding church of the Old Zion Association, from the relentless march of time. There are early discussions to transform the historic building into a Martin County Heritage Center, a move that could breathe new life into this venerable structure.
The brick church, which predates the creation of Martin County in 1870, was originally built in what was then known as Arminta Ward’s Bottom, part of Johnson County, according to Old Zion Association minutes. Despite renovations and changing facades over the years, the church retains its original structure at 123 East Main Street in Inez and is a tangible link to the county’s past.
“As we think about the future of our downtown, it’s important not to lose sight of who we were,” said Carolea Mills, Martin County Deputy Judge/Executive and Economic Development Authority director. “We need to take those rooms and breathe life back into them while honoring their history. That’s why our EDA board purchased this building in June—they want to see our downtown thrive again.”
Mills noted the importance of putting historic buildings like the church to good use.
“As times change, we need to think of creative ways to repurpose these beautiful structures. Once they become vacant, they deteriorate at rapid speed,” she warned. “That’s why it’s crucial that we all work together to preserve such a special place in our county’s history.”
The church bell, believed by former congregants to be as old as the church itself, could play a central role in the future heritage center.
“We would hope to bring that down for outside display and use it as a tourist landmark for all who visit to stop and read about the history of the church,” said Mills.
Restoration efforts have already begun on the exterior, aided by a donation of 35 gallons of paint from Lowe’s, materials from the EDA, and labor overseen by Martin County Jailer Bill Preece through the inmate community service program.
Future plans include collaboration with Appalachia Reach Out volunteers, community leaders and the Martin County Tourism Board to restore the church’s interior and recapture its early 19th-century atmosphere.
“The Martin County Heritage Center could host quilt shows, offer lessons in Appalachian instruments, accommodate small weddings and feature cultural exhibits during festivals,” Mills suggested. “We could include a prayer box for people to leave their requests.”
Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty, who played a key role in securing the funding to purchase the property, shared his enthusiasm for the 203-year-old church.
“It will be exciting to see another building in our downtown thrive once again,” Lafferty said. “Heritage Centers are vital to our sustainable downtown development, linking us to the past handed down to us from our ancestors. We need to protect and preserve them for future generations.”
The United Baptist Church on Rockcastle Creek, organized by Elder Henry Dixon and pastored or moderated by Elder Thomas Kirk, went into the organization of Paint Union Association in 1837. Then in 1848, Rockcastle and Silver Creek Church in Crum, West Virginia, became the primary founding churches of the Old Zion Association when it was organized from Paint Union.
Until 1855, though, the Rockcastle was the only Kentucky congregation in the association. The rest were located in present-day West Virginia.
According to the minutes of the third annual meeting of the Zion Association of United Baptists of Eastern Kentucky and Western West Virginia, “held with the Rockcastle Church in Johnson County, Kentucky, on Friday before the first Saturday in September 1851 and the two days following, the introductory sermon was delivered by Elder Goodwin Lycans from the 6th chapter of St. John and 51st verse: ‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if man eat of this bread he shall live forever and the bread that I will give is my flesh which I give for the life of the world.’”