about us
The Cane Springs Baptist
Church
The Cane Springs Primitive Baptist Church,
located on College Hill Road (route 977) approximately seven miles north
of the community of Waco, has served as headquarters of the Madison County
Historical Society since 1997. The church was built in 1813 and is
the oldest existing church building in Madison County. Aside from
Historical Society meetings the church is used for church services,
weddings, community meetings, family reunions, and other appropriate
events.
It has been said that in the
east there is Eden and in the west there is Kentucky, and deeply imbedded
in Kentucky is Madison County. Named after the illustrious Virginia
statesman James Madison, the county is a study in geographical and
cultural contrasts. At one side it touches the rolling Appalachian
mountains, and on the other the lush bluegrass.
The pages of Madison County's history are
filled with colorful personalities and exciting events. Not far from
I-75 is the old frontier Wilderness Trail on which legendary Daniel Boone
and other pioneers traveled to establish Fort Boonesborough in 1775.
Perhaps no other leader dominated the country's early history more than
Green Clay, the classic example of a self-made entrepreneur who served as
a model for aspiring farmers and businessmen. As a member of the
county court for nearly forty years, Clay used his political power to
develop a vast economic empire which included large estates, ferries,
taverns, and toll roads.
During the antebellum period the region was
primarily proslavery in its sentiment; however, it saw the establishment
of an antislavery colony at Berea in the violent and turbulent 1850s by
the radical abolitionist missionary John G. Fee and emancipationist
Cassius M. Clay. The county also witnessed major battles during both
the American Revolution and the Civil War, including the Battle of
Richmond in 1862.
Madison County was the birthplace of
Cassius M. Clay, Kit Carson, African American man-of-letters Henry Allen
Laine, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Samuel Freeman Miller,
women's rights leaders Laura Clay and Belle H. Bennett, and five
governors. In the twenty-first century Madison County continues to
be known for its institutions of higher education-Berea College and Eastern Kentucky University - a stable agricultural economy, light
industrial development, tourism, and the production of hand-made arts and
crafts.
The history of Madison County is a rich and
varied one and worthy of preservation. Since 1891 the Madison County
Historical Society has been dedicated to that purpose.
In 1986, as part of the county's
bicentennial celebration, the Madison County Historical Society published Madison
County: 200 Years in Retrospect, a definitive and scholarly history of
the county. In addition to documenting the county's history, the
Society seeks to inform and educate the public about the significant
contributions the people of Madison have made and continue to make in
shaping a refined culture out of a raw frontier environment.
Join the Madison County Historical Society, a501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and help preserve Madison's history and heritage. Membership is open to all persons.
Madison County Historical Society
P.O. Box 397
Richmond, KY 40476 |
