Biography

Hayes Memorial Methodist Church (Iota, La.) appears to be the predecessor name of Iota United Methodist Church. The church is located at the southeast intersection of South 5th Street and Peach Street, Iota, Louisiana.

On December 6, 1901, C.C. Duson donated a lot to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The church was constructed the following year and was paid off by 1905.

Attendance went down after World War I when many members moved away. Rev. George Walton Dameron helped get the church going again. The families of Cleophas Amy and Mrs. Martha Hayes were also instrumental in keeping the church going in the lean years.

The current church was built in 1938 using donations and building materials from the 1902 church that was taken down. A 600-pound brass bell that had hung in the Acadia Parish courthouse in the 1880s was given to the church and was installed in the church tower. The bell was moved to the District Camp for 12 years, but was returned to the church. The parsonage was purchased in 1957. Classrooms were constructed and the church yard was fenced.

Iota United Methodist Church closed in 2016.

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-23.

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