Cumberland Presbyterians in Harrison County

In 1848 the first Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Harrison County was established when the Reverend James Sampson and 22 charter members founded a congregation in Marshall. The first pastor was the Rev. Thomas Wilson. In 1851 church trustees purchased two town lots and a sanctuary was dedicated in 1853.

During the next sixty years Cumberland Presbyterian congregations were established in rural areas around Harrison county. In 1855 a branch church called Ewing Chapel was founded south of Marshall. Churches also were organized in the communities of Hope in 1889, Nesbitt in 1901, and later in the Fairview area.

As the churches grew, members contributed to many activities including education and local, county, and state politics. Rural congregations began to decline in the 1920s and 1930s as roads and transportation improved and members could travel to congregations served by resident pastors. By the 1970s only the Fairview and Marshall congregations remained.

In 1984 the two congregations officially became the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Marshall. The church continues to be an integral part of the community as it has for more than a century. (1997)