The Story of Locust Grove

Locust Grove Missionary Baptist Church is the second oldest church in the Blood River Baptist Association, and is located five miles southeast of Murray at 1871 Locust Grove Road. Twenty-one charter members (14 women and 7 men) formed a United Baptist Church of Christ at the Locusgrove Meetinghouse (as spelled in the original Minutes) in October 1841.  This "meetinghouse" was perhaps a community-gathering place and was also used as a common school.

The Church used this facility until 1859, when a 30 x 40 church was built.  The name United Baptist was applied to many early Baptist churches in Kentucky and the term United was gradually dropped and the word Missionary was adopted because of Baptists interest in missions.  Locust Grove has a history of significant support to mission efforts.  The Church has been a staunch financial supporter of the Southern Baptist Conventions Cooperative Program and the missions work it makes possible both at home and around the world. In the 1840s the area surrounding the Church was covered heavily with timber and with fields of some very fertile soil.  The major crops were tobacco, hay, corn, wheat, barley, and oats. Roads in the vicinity of what is now Murray and Calloway County were first used not only for travel by the early settlers but were post office routes as well as stage coach routes.  Maps of this era indicate three main roads going through what is now Calloway County.  A road that entered the county near Hazel transversed a northerly course through Locust Grove and New Concord (called Humility at the time), ran near Shiloh, and then went on to intersect the Wadesboro route at Birmingham.  It has been passed on through the years that a large grove of locust trees was located in an area that is in front of the present parsonage.  This could explain the name given to the meetinghouse and, thus, to the Church.

Locust Grove experienced Gods grace from the beginning as the first addition to the churchs membership occurred in less than two months.  When the Church was only four months old, one of the charter members was licensed to preach. These two events have been repeated throughout the 160-year history of the church.  God continues to use the Church to further His Kingdom.

In 1843, Locust Grove helped constitute a church at Beach Grove and, in 1846, the Church was asked to provide ministerial aid for what is today the First Baptist Church in Murray.  Locust Grove has also assisted in the formation of several churches that were within and outside of the Association.  The first reference to a Sunday School appeared in 1854 when the Church agreed to take a Sunday School library containing 196 books and organize a Sunday School. Locust Grove was an early supporter of the Sunday School ministry and was one of the first churches to actively participate in this endeavor in the Association.

In January 1861, the Church met in fasting and prayer due to the Civil War.  In January 1862, the Church did not hold services on account of an Army passing through the county at that time.  Reports relayed through the years indicated that an Army camp was set up just over a mile southwest of the church.

A new church building, 50 x 32 and 15 high was started in 1885.  By 1900, Locust Grove had grown to over 100 members, with 52 enrolled for Sunday School.  God was working through his servants and His blessings continued for His Church.  In 1917, two 12 x 32 additions to the church were completed.  The largest enrollment (264) in the Churchs history was reported in 1939.

Locust Grove Missionary Baptist Church, on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1950, was completely destroyed by fire.  Only 13 chairs were saved.  On the day of the fire, members voted to rebuild Gods house. Shortly after the fire a church member recorded these words, Our Pastor had previously resigned.  We were a church without a Pastor and without a building, but thanks be we were not without God and His protecting care.  Until the new church building was finished in 1952, services were held in members homes and in a tent located on the church property.  By October 1953 the Church was free of debt.   A parsonage was completed in 1960 and in 1964 an educational building was added to the church, followed in 1971 by a church vestibule and porch.  In 1985, wheelchair access was added.  Locust Grove continues to renovate and improve the facilities for fellowship, study and worship.