The parish of St. Anthony, Browns Valley, Kentucky was established by the Diocese of Louisville on October 16, 1902.  Land for the church site was purchased from Lee & Irene Birk for $642.50.  St. Anthony's first pastor was Rev. Aloysius George Meyering, who said Mass in parishioners' homes until the first frame church was built in 1903.  The altar of the church was one that for years stood in the log church of St. Raphael's.  A beautiful statue of St. Anthony was presented to the church, as well as a ciborium, other necessary items for the altar, and some nice vestments.  A second plot of land was purchased on the 4th of January, 1905, from G.R. Hickey and Katie Hickey for $1,400.00

The 14th of June, 1903, was the day of the first High Mass and the first Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the new church.  The choir from St. Rose's church, Cloverport, lent their services for that occasion.  Fr. Meyering lived in the sacristy of the church until the original rectory was built in 1904.

In 1911, work began on building a school, which opened in September, 1912, with two Ursuline sisters as teachers.  Six years later, in 1918, a high school was established when an additional Ursuline teacher was secured.  Funding for many of these early projects at St. Anthony came from picnics held in the woods rented across the Livermore Road from Martin Wilson.  In 1914, six acres were donated by Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Krampe, as a place to hold the parish picnics.

On April 3, 1921, to commemorate the 25th Jubilee of Fr. Meyering, The Young Ladies of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary proposed to erect a Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes, a replica of the noted Grotto in France.  Rocks from area farms and quarries were hauled to the hillside north of the church by the men of the parish. On May 24, 1922, statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and Bernadette arrived from Chicago, and were stored in the basement of the school.  Joseph Wilberding of Norwood, Ohio, agreed to take the contract for the construction of the Grotto.  Sr. Christina Eckmans encouraged the schoolboys to assist in the work, and the Grotto was dedicated in late October, 1923.

The "Ave Maria," on the hillside to the west of the church, continues to be a landmark for many people throughout the surrounding area.

On October 31, 1931, during the residences of Fr. Joseph Odendahl and Fr. C. P. Bowling, fire destroyed the frame church, but parishioners were able to save the pews, altar and statues.  Mass was held in the hall of the school until the new church could be built.  The plan for the new church was to build a basement first and use it as the church until the main floor and superstructure could be built.  However, the ground for the basement was not dug deep enough, and the plans for the main floor and superstructure were abandoned.

The new church was dedicated May 31, 1934, when Fr. James McGee served as pastor.

In 1951, Fr. Thomas Libs initiated a drive by the parish to renovate the church.  As the interior was remodeled, dirt was removed from the basement, and the exterior was covered with the present stone.  The major renovation of the church was completed in 1953.

Over the years, school attendance dropped, while the teaching sisters were needed in the new parochial schools in Owensboro.  Regretfully, the high school had to be closed first, and the grade school closed in 1966, at the request of Bishop Soennecker.

The school building was razed in 1967, and the Parish Hall was erected adjacent to that site, to be used for burgoo suppers, sausage and pancake breakfasts, wedding receptions, Thanksgiving dinners and Wednesday night Bingo.  These activities were all started during the time Father O'Bryan was pastor, 1971-1984.  More recently, it has been the site of Religious Education classes, RCIA,  youth functions, Small Group and council meetings.

In 1978, air conditioning was installed in the church, and the road to the church and parish hall was blacktopped.  The funds for these projects were raised by the Bingo operation.

In 1984, while Fr. Joseph Mills was pastor, and extension was added to the church roof, covering the sacristy.  While Father Joseph Rhodes was pastor, 1986-1989, a roof was added to the south end covering the flat roof over the front entrance.  These additions ended some persistent leaks at both ends of the church.

Father Pete Lauzon was pastor from 1991-1995 and in 1991 the old Victorian rectory was demolished and a new rectory was built on a new site.  The site of the old rectory is now a parking lot.

With Fr. Tony Jones, further remodeling of the church continued, culminating in the beautiful stained-glass windows in 1999.  Many other improvements have been made recently including landscaping of the grounds and the addition of the new parking lot.

The theme of the 100th Anniversary celebration of St. Anthony Parish is "100 Years of Faith on the Hill."  Since the sacraments are the heart of any Catholic community, a celebration, centered on the sacraments, was planned for June, 2002.  Fr. Brian Roby officiated.  This undertaking was made possible by the unselfish sharing of time, talent and treasure, bringing the entire parish together as a family, as well as celebrating those who had gone before.