The History of Morrison Park Holiness Campground Glasgow, Barren County, Kentucky

   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.