Daniel Boone and 30 woodsmen cut a trail through Virginia in route to Kentucky in 1775 that would later be called “The Wilderness Road”. It became a well-travelled trail which allowed the settlers to pass through the Shenandoah and Roanoke Valleys and through our area to what is now Bristol, Tennessee and onward to Kentucky. This great well-worn road was the main route used for settling Kentucky and the West. It is estimated that 200,000 people with wagons and livestock ventured through the Cumberland Gap from 1790 to 1840.

Little of the old Wilderness Road can be seen today, only a section here and there. This great historic road that played an intricate part of our nations history was later neglected and finally abandoned in the 1840’s. It is a pity that a road so well-marked, so well-travelled and that proved so vital and trustworthy, fell into disuse and faded into the pages of history. Few in these days know of the Wilderness Road, its location, importance or of the great multitudes that travelled on it. Now the original route is obscured under a maze of modern roads and highways headed in every direction. Such is the price of progress in American culture.

Our Christian forefathers cut a pathway of faith through the wilderness of this world. That road was well-marked, heavily travelled and vital through the centuries. The things which they believed, and for which they lived and died, have been neglected. The great historic truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have been laid aside and this has blurred the church’s main purpose. The introduction of new beliefs and practices have created a “maze of roads and highways headed in every direction”. This has left in it’s wake a multitude of people who are disillusioned, despondent, and dissatisfied, finding no rest for their souls. Such is the price of so-called progress.

Wilderness Road Baptist Assembly is not about a geographical location nor are we concerned with historic or ecumenical nostalgia. Our desire is to see a return to a living faith that has proven itself throughout the centuries. We are dedicated to the worship of Christ, pursuing spiritual maturity and depth, and offering genuine hope through the power of God’s grace.

For more information on the Wilderness Road go here