Bear Creek Primitive Baptist Association was founded in the year 1832 with the churches Bear Creek, Cold Water, Piney Woods, Freedom, and Meadow Creek. It was comprised of churches from North Carolina and corresponded with churches and associations in Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina, and Virginia. Starting in 1885 it held two sessions annually, one in the spring and one in the fall. These biannual meetings continued for much of its existence. In 1927 there appears to have been a split with some churches leaving the association and continuing to meet together under a similar name.