The old Red River Presbyterian Meeting House was the oldest church in western Kentucky, which was then the western frontier of Virginia and was sparsely inhabited. It was built between 1785 and 1789, as we know that it was in existence by 1789. It was a log structure built by the Society of Presbyterians. The community of Red River was settled largely by Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. They probably had been meeting at this site to worship for about four years before a church was built. Across the road nearby was Maulding’s Fort, the oldest settlement in this area of Logan County. It was erected in 1780 as a stockade against attacks by the Indians. The original building was replaced between 1840 and 1847 by a white frame building known as the Red River Cumberland Presbyterian Church, after which the crumbling log church was razed in 1856-58. This second church was erected where the meeting house stands today about 300 yards away from the original site. It was razed in 1935. A replica of the early log church was completed in 1959 under the direction of Kermit Robey and Loy Moore, using hand-hewn logs of the original time period. Rock for the chimney cam from President L. B. Johnson’s ancestral home in Logan County. This building was destroyed by fire in 1992. A new building was completed in 1994 under the direction of Ruston Flowers. The monument that is located as you come in the walking gate at the front of the cemetery was the location of the northwest cornerstone of the original log building. This monument is built of foundation stones from the original church and those of the second church which stood where the meeting house stands today.
