Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all are having a pleasant holiday, surrounded by those you love, and with plenty to eat. We all have much to be thankful for! But did you know, that, in the county’s early days, the Thanksgiving holiday had less to do with family, food, and shopping, and was instead observed more by community gatherings and interdenominational public worship services?

As can be seen in this entry from the journal of William T. Nixon, Thanksgiving 1879, which happened exactly 135 years ago today, was observed with short notice by the people of Lawrenceburg. Students were excused from school, and a group of leading citizens organized an impromptu public worship service, which was probably held at either the Cumberland Presbyterian Church on South Military Street or First Methodist Church on Waterloo Street, although Nixon does not specify where the service took place.

To prepare for the worship service, the men warmed the church by building fires in the church’s stoves, and rang the church bell to let the community know that a special service was about to be held. With practically no notice, Bro. Comer agreed to preach a special Thanksgiving sermon to the crowd. His sermon text was Philippians 4:6, which says: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (King James Version).

Excerpt from the Journal of W.T. Nixon, 1879