About Us

The Goodlettsville Cumberland Presbyterian Church was an outgrowth of the Great Revival Meetings during 1799 in Kentucky and Tennessee. In 1800, Isaac Walton donated six acres of land as a place of worship. This land was located on the east bank of Mansker’s Creek on Long Hollow Pike. This site became known as Walton’s Campground. During the first half of the 19th Century, several groups held worship services at Walton’s Campground.

On February 4, 1810, the first Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was formed in Dickson County, Tennessee.

The camp meeting became the most attended religious service in this area. People came from miles around to attend the camp meetings, but not always for religious reasons. During this period of time, whiskey was a common drink, and dueling happened quite frequently. Some people came to the camp meetings to drink and cause trouble for the preachers. In some cases the preachers had to chase off the drunks and troublemakers before the preaching could begin.

In the fall of 1843, a small group of Christians met on the banks of Mansker Creek at Walton’s Campground. The church minutes dated September 22, 1868, describe the location as “just across the creek in Sumner County, from the village of Goodlettsville, where the church is now located.” The length of the meetings of the early church were quite different from our present church. A full-term meeting lasted seven to fourteen days at Walton’s Campground. This group may have met in the original building constructed on the site. This building was a rough log shed large enough to house a large congregation. It was made of white ash logs. It measured about 32 feet wide and 40 feet long.
The church was first known as Mansker’s Creek Congregation. It had 42 charter members. Ten of these members joined the church by profession of faith or by letter of transfer in the fall of 1843. The other 32 members listed their date of membership as before the fall of 1843. The discrepancy is explained in the church record in the following way:

“There was an organization at the old Mansker’s Creek Church several years before the present one was formed but had gone down and when the present church was organized many of the old members joined it; hence we find that many of them are recorded as having been received before this church was organized.”

On March 8, 1850, by order of the Presbytery, the church was changed from Mansker's’ Creek Congregation to Goodlettsville Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The United States Post Office changed its name from Mansker’s Station to Goodlettsville on April 13, 1854.

In 1899, it was decided that a new church building would be constructed. The proposal was to furnish and construct a stone church for $2,500. The amount must not have been enough because the old building was torn down, and a new frame church building was built.
In the winter of 1901, the church building burned to the ground.

In 1902, the church was rebuilt and stands today. This is the white structure in the front part of the property facing Dickerson Road.

The new sanctuary was built in 1976.

An Activity Building was completed in the spring of 1990. The Activity Building sits behind the church.

The Courtyard was added in 2005 as a place for community. This place allows our members to meet together for small group. This is also an ideal place for an outdoor wedding.