Lewis Craig and his brother, Elijah, lived and preached among the Separate Baptists of Virginia. Craig served as pastor of the Spotsylvania Church, which was organized in 1767. Because of religious persecution, Lewis and many of his church migrated to Kentucky as the "Traveling Church" in 1781. They brought with them some of the furnishings, the old Bible, and the communion set.
They reached Gilbert's Creek, one half mile from the present site of Lancaster, establishing "Craig's Station." They stayed there for approximately two years before Craig and most of the church moved to South Elkhorn, which is about five miles south of Lexington.
Several of the church members settled in the small town of Keene, where continued preaching led to the fourth Saturday of August, 1801. With 100 members, they soon bought a lot and built their church building near the home of the first pastor, George S. Smith, a distinguished citizen who had helped frame the first Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church is affiliated with the Elkhorn Baptist Association, the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.