The Morrison Park community we know today began with the story of a
young orphan boy who through providence was led to the good people of this
County where he found love and experienced the effects of a Godly devout people
who worshipped in spirit and truth. It was a community in the mid 1800’s that
was so committed to the service and obedience of the Lord that most everyone
attended church, prayed dutifully and not a single axe handle would ever be
heard in use on Sunday, as the whole community respected and honored the Lord’s
day. This young boy at the age of eleven was so touched by the this environment
and the great drawing power of God’s invitation to salvation that he found
himself willfully and longingly on the altar of grace in the nearby community
Methodist Church of Boyd’s Creek. When Morrison was saved, he experienced a
salvation that was joy filled and full of glory. It is a salvation so great and
wonderful that he knew for a fact he had found the Lord, and experienced a new
birth confirmed by the receiving of the spirit as promised in the New Testament
Scriptures. Immediately this young boy was called to service by the Lord.
Morrison’s first act, that very night, was to go forth and beseech his own unsaved
teacher standing at the rear of the church to come and seek Christ. God soon
directed the young boy to set up an altar in his own home, the old rustic log
cabin home of his grandfather William Morrison, who’s house sat
on highway 63, just across and a few hundred yards down from the present day
Morrison Park Holiness Camp. God was using this small boy to his service as
nightly, he read scripture and led in prayer, thereby witnessing to all, his
household, visiting family, and occasional travelers the truths of God’s word.
Morrison would also attend other nearby churches, and often after the preaching
would walk the aisles, begging and pleading with others especially young people
to heed the call of God and come to an altar of prayer. Although Morrison would
not officially become a licensed minister until a few years later when he would
leave Barren County with a half- brother and attended Perryville United Methodist Church, most
everyone would agree, God’s dramatic calling of this young man to his service
began right here in Barren County Kentucky at the altar of Boyd’s Creek
Methodist Church.
The story of Morrison’s great accomplishments
and his work for the Lord are more numerous than could ever be written in this
space provided. At home here in
Kentucky, Morrison was twice President of Asbury College at Wilmore Kentucky,
and both times saved the college from financial ruin and bankruptcy. No one
doubts, Asbury College would not be in existence today without the efforts,
works and prayers of H.C. Morrison. Morrison would later found a Theological
Seminary at Asbury that is still in operation to this day, being one of the
most prestigious seminaries in the nation. Morrison published and served as
Editor for a very popular religious publication “The Pentecostal Herald”, which
carried his sermons, as well as those of other prominent ministers, around the
nation and various parts of the world. Morrison wrote many books, and was one
of the most respected and highly known ministers of the day. During the great
Holiness Movement in America, Morrison
rose like a colossus, preaching all across
America from the smallest to the largest cities and is regarded to this day as
the greatest
advocate of Holiness. The most prominent words of praise
for Morrison came from the great William Jennings Bryant who proclaimed H.C.
Morrison the greatest pulpit Orator on the American continent.
Despite the constant demand for Morrison all
across the nation, Morrison still took the time and felt the need to establish
a special place of worship in his own hometown of Glasgow/ Barren County
Kentucky. “Pentecostal Park”, later evolving into the name “Morrison Park”, was
founded in 1900 on the very farm that had once been the plantation of his great
grandfather John O. Morrison who settled here from Virginia around 1800. A
portion of this property had become the farm of the grandfather who raised the
orphan boy. Morrison had played, worked, and roamed this land as a boy.
Morrison Park Camp Meeting was a six acre
park, dedicated to the preaching of Jesus Christ, and the Holiness message. The
park had a large open air tabernacle for the preaching services. There were
many small cottages supplied with simple cots. There was a large wood frame
building commonly referred to as “the hotel”, with a dining room downstairs and
a number of rooms above. A few years later Rev. J.L. Piercy had a more elaborate
log, lodging cabin constructed there for his own use, and following in the same
design, a larger cabin was built by Morrison for use as a working library for
the community. In more recent years a modern restroom building was provided and
a caretaker’s house was built. The park flourished in attendance over the years
with great success. Hundreds, even at the greatest of times, a thousand in
number would be on the grounds of the park for the religious services. Many who
traveled greater distances literally would live on the park for the two week
period, thus giving it the name “Camp Meeting”. Prominent ministers, singers,
and special guest were secured each year to provide the spiritual services that
resulted in no doubt thousands of souls being saved. In time the park grew old, and in need of
great repair. Along with this decay in the physical nature of the park came a
decline in attendance and support and by the late nineteen nineties, the park
suffered a crippling blow when the huge tabernacle was damaged by storm,
causing its eventual removal. The general consensus among those in charge was
that the day of the camp meeting was surly over and therefore the park lay
mostly untouched for about fifteen years.
In December 2010, a Godly directive caused
some local residence to begin a reconstruction of the grounds and the
repairable structures that remained. The result has been most favorable. Much
of the Park has been cleared, and at this time the two log cabin buildings have
been refurbished and stand in good repair. This has been accomplished by
generous donations on the part of many citizens, churches and groups who have
graciously supported our efforts. It has also been accomplished because of the
generosity of wonderful men like Buck Riddle, Delbert Birge, and Bob Bell who
gave their time freely to perform this great work. Edie Bell has spent
countless hours and planted beautiful flowers all over the park, making it truly
come to life. There have been so many wonderful donations and acts of support. I
wish space was provided to list everyone who has done so much, and is still
doing so much. Let me say on behalf of myself and all that is Morrison Park,
“we love you, and thank God every day for you.” We can never say “thank you,
“enough. Still, there remains so much more to be done, the greatest being the
rebuilding of the tabernacle so that once again God’s word may be proclaimed on
this sacred hillside.
