Bates Pennycuff
Spencer Bates Pennycuff (1924-1997) was a Baptist preacher from Scott County who turned his life around after nearly being killed by the county sheriff as a young man, and founded the Pennycuff Sign Ministry that placed “Jesus Is Coming, RU Ready?” signs throughout Scott County and neighboring communities.
Biography
Born Dec. 6, 1924, Bates Pennycuff was the son of William Henry “Bill” Pennycuff (1904-1985) and Bessie L. Stephens (1904-1993). His father was originally from Fentress County, and later moved to the Marcumtown area of West Oneida. Bill Pennycuff served as a deputy sheriff in Scott County, and in the late 1930s was accused of killing constable Maynard King in a street battle in Oneida.
Bates’ siblings included Beulah Christine Pennycuff (1927-1929), Marion Imogene Pennycuff (1929-1947), Grovery Pennycuff (1930-1979), and Milford Thomas Pennycuff (1933-1948).
He married Edna Mae Burchfield (1927-1991) in 1943. They had one child together: James Curtis Pennycuff (1943-2017). He later married Bertha “Lois” Tucker (1928-2011). Their sons included Jerry Maynard Pennycuff (1954-2021), Bill Pennycuff, and a son who died in infancy. Daughters included Donna Hollinger, Jackie Holbert, and Patty Pennycuff.
Adult Life
Pennycuff was a coal miner who had a reputation as a roughneck. Rev. Hobert Wright, of Robbins, said in a self-made audio recording near the end of his life that he had seen Pennycuff pick up a mine superintendent and throw him off a bridge during an argument at a mining operation.
On Sunday, July 23, 1950, Scott County Sheriff Dorsey Rosser shot Pennycuff twice while Pennycuff resisted arrest. The incident occurred at the Rainbow Court, a tourist home south of Oneida. Rosser and Deputy Ernest Goad were arresting Pennycuff on a charge of public drunkenness. When he resisted, he was shot in the left side and the left shoulder. It was reported by the Knoxville Journal — and has remained a legend that is still told today — that Pennycuff coughed up a bullet from one of the wounds.
Later, Pennycuff was converted during a revival at Mountain View Missionary Baptist Church, where Wright was pastor. Wright said in the audio recording that he had noticed Pennycuff on the front row during the sermon, but could not find him during an altar call that followed. However, someone else in the church pointed out that Pennycuff was at the altar, praying. Pennycuff later asked Wright to baptize him.
Pennycuff went on to be ordained in the Baptist ministry. He was a member of Winfield Baptist Church, and worked as an evangelist for years until his death. He organized Pennycuff Sign Ministries, which placed signs throughout Scott County, reading, “Jesus Is Coming. RU Ready?” The signs were once prominent on most Scott County backroads, though most have faded from the landscape.
The signs replaced after Pennycuff retired from GMC Truck Sales in Muncie, Ind., and moved back to Scott County.
Death
Pennycuff died on Aug. 31, 1997, at age 72. He was buried at Hazel Valley Memorial Cemetery in Oneida.