Biography

Holly Grove United Methodist Church (Anacoco, La.) is located at 801 Holly Grove Rd, Anacoco, Louisiana.

The first Methodist services at Holly Grove may have been conducted by Rev. Henry Stephenson. He held services in the local schoolhouse in 1826. In 1837, Rev. Luke Conerly and J.W. Franklin bought 40 acres of land and patented it to the Holly Grove Church.

Although the congregation began as a Methodist Protestant church, when Joel Sanders was appointed in 1841 it was taken over by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. Sanders’ circuit was from Bienville to Holly Grove, then across Bayou Toro at its mouth to Negreet, then to Many, then to Bayou Scie, then to Pleasant Hill, and finally back to Bienville.

A log building, 24 by 30 feet, was constructed in 1854 (at approximately the same location as the present church). Hewn logs were used for the pulpit and the pews. The building was also used as a school during the week. The log church was replaced with a boxed church in 1872. In 1894 a two story frame church was built by the congregation. The Masons used the second floor, and church services were held on the first. The porch was four feet high so that ladies could easily dismount from their horses. The second floor was removed and an addition was added to the north side of the building in 1915.

A new church was constructed across the road from the old church in 1977. The old church was left with its furnishings and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Holly Grove United Methodist Church disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church in 2023.

Source: Timothy Hebert, “The Historical Register of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church,” (Louisiana: Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, 2004), page LC-19.

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