Isaac Denton, Sr., the first preacher in the region, was active by 1798. He founded Stockton Valley Church in 1801, constituted Clear Fork Baptist Church on April 1, 1802, founded Stockton Valley Association in 1805, and organized the first school in the area in 1806. Clear Fork Baptist Church is the oldest church in Clinton County and the fountainhead for many churches in Kentucky and Tennessee. Its ministers included Isaac Denton, Sr., W. R. Bradshaw, Joseph C. Denton, T. L. Cummins, Alvin Bertram, Ora C. Jones, O. G. Lawless, Arnold Cool, Isaac Hucaby, and Morris M. Gaskins. William Cross, ordained by Clear Fork, founded Bethlehem Association, served as a captain in the War of 1812, and became the first judge of Clinton County.