Question 2. Where in the County was the birthplace of the “Hard-Shelled Baptists?”
Answer: Black Rock Baptist Church in Butler. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, most Baptist churches in America had adopted doctrines and practices which differed significantly from original Baptist standards. The traditional Baptist churches became concerned about these differences and by the late 1820s fractures began to develop in the Baptist fellowship. Division came to a head in 1832 when a group of the conservative Baptists met at the Black Rock Church in Butler to announce and explain their resolve to withdraw fellowship from the liberal doctrines. The resulting Black Rock Address had widespread influence across the country. Those churches that embraced its doctrines became known as Hard-Shell Baptists or Primitive Baptists.