History
Many of the earliest Baptist in Washington County came from Sandy Creek Baptist Association in North Carolina. Many came to the Holston and Watauga Settlements after the Battle of Alamance in May 1771, when there was a mass migration of settlers from central North Carolina to the frontier regions. During this period, Sandy Creek was reduced from 606 to 14 members. One group of Baptist moved to Boone’s Creek in Washington County. In 1779, under the leadership of Tidence Lane, they established the Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church, located eight miles north of Jonesborough. Often referred to as the first Baptist church in Tennessee, Buffalo Ridge is acknowledged by most secular historians as Tennessee’s first permanent church. According to Paul M. Fink, Buffalo Ridge was the first meeting house (church building) to be constructed in Washington County. In 1785, Jonathan Mulkey succeeded Lane as pastor, serving until his death in 1826.
The first church was constructed of logs with a clapboard roof. A single window provided the light for the pastor to read his text and “line off” his hymns. There was a large fireplace, one window placed high in the end of the building out of the range of Indian gunfire, and a heavy wooden door. The seats were of split logs and had no backs.
By 1817 the church had a membership of 300, but for many reasons, membership declined over the next several years. Around 1815 some preachers began preaching what they called a “Reformation”. This change in doctrine caused a division in the church and a loss of many members. It came at an unfortunate time. The church was without a pastor after the death of Jonathan Mulkey in 1826 and without a leader, membership declined to 23 in 1828. Better times returned to the church with the selection of Rees Bayless as pastor. Membership increased over 300 percent during his pastorate.
Several newly organized Baptist churches sprang up over the next few years, including Limestone and Union. Some members left Buffalo Ridge to join these churches, causing another drop in membership. In the1854 epidemic of cholera, Buffalo Ridge lost 19 members and the association reported 168 deaths overall.
On top of Buffalo Ridge in the Buffalo Ridge Cemetery is a marker telling all who visit there that they are standing on very historical and memorable ground. This marker is inscribed: “Here stood Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church 1778 First Baptist Church in Tenn. Pastors Tidence Land, organizer 1778-1785, Johnathan Mulkey 1785-1826. Baptist Historical Society & E. Tenn. W.M.U. Golden Jubilee memorial 1938.”
By 1848 a new building was needed and a committee was appointed. Church minutes record that “Reverend Martin Kitzmiller preached the first sermon that ever was preached in the New Brick Church, March 22, 1851.” The debt on the new brick church was settled in July 1858.
During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Buffalo Ridge slowly lost membership due to population shifts and the isolated location of the church. By 1915 the church had only 77 members and closed due to a lack of support. For nearly ten years, the only time the church doors were opened was for an occasional funeral service.
The church was revived by Missionary S.W. Tindell in the early 1920’s. On October 1, 1922, the membership decided to relocate at Gray’s Station (now Gray, TN), about one mile from the original site. The first services in the new location were held in the upper room of Maden & Saunders Store. After a time, the congregation moved to the “upper room of the canning factory”, then to the high school building. For a while, meetings were even held under a tent. In 1927 the new church building was completed. Buffalo Ridge became ‘independent in doctrine and practice’ and withdrew from the Holston Association in 1973.
Source: Watauga Association of Genealogists – Upper East Tennessee. History of Washington County Tennessee 1988. Walsworth Press, 1988.
Tindell, A.B., A.M., Samuel W. The Baptists of Tennessee, Vol. 1. Kingsport TN: Southern Publishers, Inc., 1930.