Posted on July 3rd, 2025

Step into the 1850s to learn more about the setting of The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County, and the world in which our protagonist, Rev. Jacob Chandler, lived and conducted his ministry. It was a history-in-the-making time. The Ohio Canal, in full operation, lent itself to economic growth in the area. Political intrigue flourished, even in small towns, and there were quiet conversations about the Underground Railroad, and whispers of the inevitability of civil war.

Into this setting, Jacob, a recent graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, entered the ranks of circuit rider preachers. From the time he was eight years old, he knew he would become a minister. And now, he was fulfilling his desire to follow in the footsteps of storied preachers like Peter Cartwright, the “Lord’s Plowman.” Jacob wanted to do his part to grow and stabilize the church, especially in Southern Ohio where he grew up.

Circuit riding preachers, a key part of the Methodist Episcopal Church’s expansion in America, began in the 1760s. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, developed the concept in England. It was then adopted and adapted in the American colonies. The first American circuit rider was Robert Strawbridge, who arrived from Ireland in 1764.

In America, the term “circuit rider” came later. It was borrowed from the U.S. Supreme Court, which had its justices travel to different regions to hear cases, which was known as traveling a circuit.

It is estimated that by the late 1840s, 4000 men still traveled circuits in America, largely in the South and Midwest, to minister to the faithful and to reach the unsaved. Several denominations were active including Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist. 

Each riders’ circuit, or “charge,” would include 25-30 stops, which could add up to nearly 500 miles. It was expected the ministers would complete their circuit within four to six weeks.

Each man kept a detailed diary of his stops, whom he met, the number of people at his services, and the number of baptisms and marriages he conducted. Often, his timing would place him at a location just in time to perform a funeral service. Everything he recorded would be included in a monthly report to his supervisor. The salary of a circuit rider was around $64 a year until 1800. It was then raised to the princely sum of $100.

In the developing Midwest, there were still few church structures. Services were held in cabins, barrooms, stores, or outdoors. There were no pre-arranged accommodations for the circuit rider. They would stay wherever they were welcomed. Most people considered it a duty and a privilege to host the preacher and were happy to do so. Unfortunately, not everyone on the frontier was hospitable. A circuit rider was often called by the derogatory name of “saddlebag preacher,” and told to move himself and his horse off the property, or else.

With growth and progress, more churches were constructed in cities and small towns, which ultimately led to the end of circuit riding around the time of the Civil War.

In The Saddlebag Preacher of Pike County, Rev. Jacob heard rumors about the circuits ending and considered how it might eventually affect his ministry. For the time being, he was content and anxious to preach to anyone, anywhere.