Franklin Township in Indianapolis in Marion County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Big Run Baptist Church
Built 1871
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 15, 2024
1. Big Run Baptist Church Marker
This building is now the Meeting House of the Franklin Township Historical Society
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1871.
Location. 39° 40.432′ N, 86° 1.125′ W. Marker is in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Marion County. It is in Franklin Township. It is at the intersection of South Franklin Road and Indian Creek South Road, on the right when traveling south on South Franklin Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6510 S Franklin Rd, Indianapolis IN 46259, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Interurban Rails (a few steps from this marker); Gallaudet Station: The Town That Never Happened (approx. 0.9 miles away); New Bethel (approx. 1.1 miles away); Anderson-Thompson House (approx. 1.9 miles away); First Presbyterian Church of Southport (approx. 4.9 miles away); Brookville Road (approx. 5 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 5.1 miles away); Mary Bryan, Pioneer Woman (approx. 5.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Indianapolis.
Regarding Big Run Baptist Church. Excerpts from the National Register nomination:
In 1848, the ten original organizers of the Big Run Baptist Church met in the home of Knowles Shaw at present day Southeastern Avenue and Big Run stream, about two miles northeast of nominated property.
In 1854, congregants Samuel and Agnes Smith donated the present site of the church and cemetery to the congregation, and they built a frame church. By the end of the Civil War, the church had begun to outgrowits small frame building. The congregation commissioned the nominated church, completed in 1871. During construction, the congregation moved the old frame church (demolished) across the road and continued to hold services there until the new church was finished. The builders used local materials to build the new sanctuary. Workers fired bricks on-site, and local lumber probably provided the floor and roof joists. Total cost of the building was $4,500.Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 15, 20242. Big Run Baptist Church Marker
In 1948, the church and its fifty members and guests celebrated their 100th anniversary. By the early 1970s, Big Run had dwindled to about twenty-five members. The remaining members of the congregation deeded the church and many of its records to the Franklin Township Historical Society in 1977.
Also see . . .
1. Big Run Baptist Church and Cemetery (PDF). National Register nomination for the property, which was listed in 2005. (Prepared by Diana Stevenson, Franklin Township Historical Society; via National Archives) (Submitted on July 13, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. Big Run Cemetery. Find a Grave entry on the burial ground
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 15, 2024
3. Big Run Baptist Church
Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 195 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 13, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
