BOURBON COUNTY, Ky. — A small Christian university in Wilmore, Kentucky took the world by storm just three months ago, when a scheduled church service spontaneously erupted into an 11-day revival.
Asbury University made national headlines, drawing in close to 70,000 visitors from around the world. Millions more watched from home as the service was streamed live on social media.
It reinvigorated the conversation of religion and unity during a time of deep division in America. But this wasn't the first of its kind in Kentucky.
Just 45 minutes northeast of Wilmore is Paris, Kentucky - the site of the Cane Ridge Revival in 1801 - known as the largest revival in America during the early 19th Century.
Today, a stone shrine sits beneath lush greenery, preserving the centuries-old church which started it all, called the Cane Ridge Meeting House, built in 1791. It's a time capsule for arguably one of the most important religious sites in all of American history.
"This is also the birthplace of the Christian Church, which was founded in 1804," James Trader, the Cane Ridge curator, said.
The church started with a group of Presbyterians who came to Kentucky to branch out, on the advice of explorer Daniel Boone. Ten years later, its people would host the largest revival of the Second Great Awakening in America.
Picture life on the frontier. It's August 1801. This abolitionist church was preparing to host its annual communion service, which often included revivals. Its minister, Barton Warren Stone, invited just about everyone he knew.
"Forty or fifty ministers. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterian," Trader said.
At the time, a decent crowd might've topped a thousand, but this time was different. The wagons and carriages just kept arriving, stirring up all the dirt and excitement.
"Some 20 to 30,000 people were here in the course of that week," Trader said. "The best estimates we've seen say they were camping for a mile and a half around the building. Most were probably slightly closer. They needed that space not just for people, but for the animals, the cattle."
Preachers would speak to crowds of 500-700 at a time. So, it was just as much a social gathering as it was a worship service.
"Quite a few of them really didn't care if they heard a sermon," Trader said. "They just simply knew this was going to be a good show."
The revival also had its critics.
"Often they were looked upon as possibly satanic. Often they were said to be influenced by the alcohol consumed, which we know was also true," Trader said.
The revival at Cane Ridge came to an end when, Trader says, both the people and their animals ran out of food.
"It was reported that every blade of grass a mile and a half around the building had been eaten by horses and cattle," Trader said.
The revival lasted an unprecedented seven days. And yet, today, more than 220 years later, it's still getting visitors.
Anywhere from 6,000 to 9,000 people still come to Cane Ridge each year, each taking in the history so deeply rooted in this one-room church.
"Some want to experience something similar," Trader said.
Janae Warner, from Columbus, Georgia, has felt the power of revival. She attended the recent Asbury Revival.
"The lines were longer than anything I've ever seen," Warner said. "You walk in and you instantly feel it. I was in that building for 6 and half hours, but it felt like an hour because it was so overwhelming."
On a Wednesday morning in May, Warner was one of seven women whose voices filled the old church, singing Great is Thy Faithfulness.
They came from Canada, Mississippi, North Carolina and Georgia. Another couple was visiting from Creve Coeur, Illinois.
"She's like, you want to go to Cane Ridge? I was like, Yes! Absolutely!" Mandie Schuler, from Alberta, Canada said.
Lela Payne's been to Cane Ridge twice.
"You feel the weightiness of the people who gave so much," the Tupelo, Mississippi resident said.
"There's just so much darkness in the world," Madeleine Schmidts, from Summerland, British Columbia, said. "There's so many people I know who need healing."
Julie Hayden came from Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
"I believe this is a key piece of revival history in America," she said. "I almost feel quivery, to be honest. Like we've stepped into a moment and stepped into the presence of God in a way I've never experienced. To think of the heritage and legacy that's come from this place, and how it's touched so many churches, denominations and sparked revivals across our nation is powerful."
"I just feel like we're going to take a piece of this back with us, start our own fires," Cynthia Golden, from North Carolina said.
The question is, where will it happen next? For these women, it's their prayer to "make it like Cane Ridge."
The Cane Ridge Meeting House is open to visitors April through October, all week long. Larger groups are asked to call ahead.
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