Renovation of Corbin church reveals treasure trove of historical documents

A renovation project at a Corbin church has reconnected it’s members with the past through the discovery of some forgotten historical papers and other objects.
Members of Twentieth Street Baptist Church in Corbin initially started out only wanting to replace a sagging floor, said church Trustee Bill Boggs this week, but through desire, and more than expected donations, the church is taking on a more complete renovation. In the process, old bulletins and other documents were found that haven’t seen the light of day in over 70 years.
“We had an idea that maybe some of this stuff was there, but nobody had ever got up there and got it down,” said Boggs.
The items discovered include: bulletins from the mid-1930s, an old wash pan, old-fashioned fans, a few bibles and a prayer list from the 1940s that contains the names of local soldiers who fought in World War II.
Boggs has been a trustee at church for about a decade, but said he’s attended there all his life … over 60 years. One of the bulletins contained a photograph of the church in 1935 that revealed it was nearly identical to the way it looks today, with the exception of a small addition. The church is over 100 years old.
Boggs said the church was built with materials principally donated from the Dunn Lumber Company.
“It was built for good acoustics so the sound would carry. It used to ring like a bell in there,” Boggs said, recalling times when he used to attend the church as a youth. “The preacher would start preaching … you didn’t have to worry about a microphone.”
Twentieth Street Baptist Church was formerly known as Fundamental Baptist Church, but changed it’s name because most people that went there simply referred to it by the street it was located on. Ironically, the church now actually sits on 21st Street. The city’s Board of Commissioners renamed it after declaring a small nearby street that leads to Corbin High School 20th Street.
“They should have never changed anything that had been established that long,” Boggs said, disapproving of the change in street designations.
Players from the University of the Cumberlands varsity football team became part of the renovation effort Monday, and also found more historical artifacts. Members of the team were on hand to help with demolition of the church’s plaster walls. They will be replaced with sheetrock.
“We just decided as a team that this is something we really needed to do,” said P.J. Hughes, Linebackers Coach for the Patriot football program. “A lot of people come and support us during the year, so it’s kind of our duty as children of God to support other people as well. It’s a good way for guys to see there are things that need to be done in the world.”
During the demolition, sophomore tight end Airion Britt discovered portions of an old minute book from the General Association of Baptists, dated 1930. It was discovered in the walls. Twentieth Street Church Pastor Raymond Hampton said it likely contained pages filled with membership information, activities and lists of individuals baptized by member churches.
Hughes said the team’s work on the church served as a “bonding experience.”
Hampton said it was extremely helpful in completing the renovation, something for which the church currently has no deadline.
“They are doing a great job for us,” Hampton said. “Their presence knocking this stuff down and taking it out for us means a lot. It’s something we did not have the manpower to do and we’ve been trying to get people to come and volunteer their time. We are tickled to death.”
Hampton said he plans to invite all the team members that participated back to the church for a special dinner after renovations are complete.
Boggs said Twentieth Street Baptist Church has an attendance of about 60 on Sunday. The church’s youth will take the historical papers and frame them for display, he said. Already, the prayer list for soldiers has been framed and is on display in the church’s annex.