Cane Ridge, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Cane Ridge, Kentucky
, USA was the site, in 1801, of a large camp meeting
that drew thousands of people and had a lasting influence as one of the landmark events of the Second Great Awakening
. Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians all participated, and many of the "spiritual exercises", such as glossolalia
, were exhibited that later became more associated with the Pentecostal movement. Perhaps the most lasting legacy of Cane Ridge was a formalization of what would become known as the Restoration Movement
, which was the origin of the Disciples of Christ, the Churches of Christ, the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada, and several other, smaller groups.
Cane Ridge is located in Bourbon County, Kentucky
near Paris
. The ridge was named by Daniel Boone
when he went through the area and noticed a form of bamboo
growing there. A Disciples congregation met on the site for many years afterward. For a time Barton W. Stone
was its minister; the place was so dear to him that at his request, several years after his death, his remains were reinterred there. The Disciples used a log building as their meeting house
; it was modernized many times. When the congregation ceased to meet there regularly in the 1920s, the building fell into disuse. Later, historically minded persons, predominantly from the Disciples, restored the building and further preserved it by building a stone shrine to surround and protect it.
The Cane Ridge building and grounds had many unusual aspects. The 1791 Cane Ridge Meeting House
is the largest single-room log structure in North America (it seats 500). The burial ground contains an unmarked section that is among the largest in the country.
The restoration of the original slave gallery in the meetinghouse was the oldest documented such restoration in the United States. In the 1820s, the congregation had removed the slave gallery, because they supported abolition. When preservationists began restoration work in the 1930s, the original cherry-railed gallery was returned from a local barn where it had served as a hay loft for more than a century.
The meeting house continues to be used as a living church. A curator is available for guided tours by appointment.
The Barton Warren Stone Museum contains artifacts of the congregation, Barton Stone and his family, the Stone-Campbell movement, and antique farm and household equipment. The museum is open only in the summer. It also houses the office of the Cane Ridge Preservation Projects and a book shop.
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, USA was the site, in 1801, of a large camp meeting
Camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
that drew thousands of people and had a lasting influence as one of the landmark events of the Second Great Awakening
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
. Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians all participated, and many of the "spiritual exercises", such as glossolalia
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
, were exhibited that later became more associated with the Pentecostal movement. Perhaps the most lasting legacy of Cane Ridge was a formalization of what would become known as the Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
, which was the origin of the Disciples of Christ, the Churches of Christ, the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada, and several other, smaller groups.
Cane Ridge is located in Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the remnant of what was previously a much larger Bourbon County, established as part of Virginia in 1785, and comprising what are now thirty-four modern Kentucky counties...
near Paris
Paris, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,183 people, 3,857 households, and 2,487 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,222 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.23% White, 12.71% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.16%...
. The ridge was named by Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
when he went through the area and noticed a form of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
growing there. A Disciples congregation met on the site for many years afterward. For a time Barton W. Stone
Barton W. Stone
Barton Warren Stone was an important preacher during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. He was first ordained a Presbyterian minister, then was expelled from the church after the Cane Ridge, Kentucky revival for his stated beliefs in faith as the sole prerequisite for salvation...
was its minister; the place was so dear to him that at his request, several years after his death, his remains were reinterred there. The Disciples used a log building as their meeting house
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
; it was modernized many times. When the congregation ceased to meet there regularly in the 1920s, the building fell into disuse. Later, historically minded persons, predominantly from the Disciples, restored the building and further preserved it by building a stone shrine to surround and protect it.
The Cane Ridge building and grounds had many unusual aspects. The 1791 Cane Ridge Meeting House
Cane Ridge Meeting House
Cane Ridge Meeting House is a historic church building on Cane Ridge in Paris, Kentucky built in 1791. It is one of the oldest church buildings in Kentucky and the largest one room log structure. The church was the site of a large frontier Christian revival in 1801 hosted by the local...
is the largest single-room log structure in North America (it seats 500). The burial ground contains an unmarked section that is among the largest in the country.
The restoration of the original slave gallery in the meetinghouse was the oldest documented such restoration in the United States. In the 1820s, the congregation had removed the slave gallery, because they supported abolition. When preservationists began restoration work in the 1930s, the original cherry-railed gallery was returned from a local barn where it had served as a hay loft for more than a century.
The meeting house continues to be used as a living church. A curator is available for guided tours by appointment.
The Barton Warren Stone Museum contains artifacts of the congregation, Barton Stone and his family, the Stone-Campbell movement, and antique farm and household equipment. The museum is open only in the summer. It also houses the office of the Cane Ridge Preservation Projects and a book shop.
Further reading
- Brown, Kenneth O. HOLY GROUND, A STUDY OF THE AMERICAN CAMP MEETING. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1992.
- Brown, Kenneth O. HOLY GROUND, TOO: THE CAMP MEETING FAMILY TREE. Hazleton: Holiness Archives, 1997.
- Conklin: Paul Keith. CANE RIDGE: AMERICA'S PENTECOST. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1990.
- Dickinson, Hoke S. THE CANE RIDGE READER. No publication data, 1972.
- Eslinger, Ellen. CITIZENS OF ZION: THE SOCIAL ORIGINS OF CAMP MEETING REVIVALISM. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1999.
- Smith, Ted A. "Out of the Mouths of Babes: Exhortation by Children and the Great Revival in Kentucky", Practical Matters: A Transdisciplinary Multimedia Journal of Religious Practices and Practical Theology, 2, 2009.