Near Mammoth Cave in Edmonson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

Born Again

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2023

1. Born Again Marker

Inscription. Life in the Joppa Ridge area centered on community, and its heart was often the Church. Memories were made at weddings, revivals and funerals. Members were empowered by congregational support, and that support was relied upon from generation to generation. The 1910 wedding of farmer Veachel Beckner and teacher Josephine "Josie" Wilkins (center, front row) was a joyful event, creating memories for many of her "Joppy" students gathered around her.

Homes and vistas of Joppa Ridge helped create this national park. Close-knit families moved to unfamiliar houses with unknown neighbors, yet the foundation of faith began at Joppa took them to new congregations, where they built a new sense of place. Stories passed on from Veachel and Josie Beckner, and many more like them, bring "the Ridge" back to life for succeeding generations.

[Caption]: The community gathered in this photograph of the Beckner wedding bear the surnames at least 25 families - Age, Alecander, Beckner, Blair, Curtis, Davis, Dennison, Deweese, Evans, Gentry, Hawkins, Herron, Holton, Hunt, Jones, Meredith, Miniard, Page, Rutherford, Sanders, Smith, Strange, Thompson, Tibbs and Tinsley.

Erected by National

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Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 37° 9.759′ N, 86° 8.113′ W. Marker is near Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, in Edmonson County. It is on Kentucky Route 70 0.2 miles west of Joppa Ridge Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located within Mammoth Cave National Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mammoth Cave KY 42259, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave Country

and in the Pennyroyal Region.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Turnhole Bend Spring (approx. 1.3 miles away); Mammoth Cave Railroad Bike & Hike Trail

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2023

2. Born Again Marker

(approx. 2.2 miles away); Old Riverboat Landing (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Edge of Appalachia (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Once and Future Forest (approx. 2.3 miles away); An African American Heritage (approx. 2.3 miles away); Old Guide's Cemetery (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Trestle and the Highway (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mammoth Cave.

Joppa Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2023

3. Joppa Church

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2023

4. Joppa Church

Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 261 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 23, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.