Biography

Liberty Chapel United Methodist Church (Williana, La.) is located on Liberty Chapel Road, one mile west of United States Highway 167.

Liberty Chapel was organized in 1849-1850. The first church, built of logs in 1850, was located near the cemetery fence across the road from the present church site. When a smallpox epidemic hit a company of soldiers camped on the Military Highway four miles from the church, twelve of them died and were buried near the center of the church cemetery.

A wood frame church was built in 1881, and was followed by a third church building in 1888. The 1888 church also served as a schoolhouse. In the 1890s, Matthew Nugent rode throughout the area collecting money. With the $50 he raised, 40 acres of land were purchased at public auction on May 26, 1894 in Colfax (Conveyance Book H, p. 97). Soon after, 40 acres of land nearby was purchased. The church and cemetery occupy this land.

The present church building was constructed in 1910. When the local school burned down, it was used as the schoolhouse for a while. The bell in front of the church was originally located at the Winnfield church. It was moved to the Dry Prong Methodist Church, but ended up at Liberty when the Dry Prong church was torn down.

Additional space was added to the back of the church building in 1959-1960. A recreation building was constructed in 1997.

Liberty Chapel United Methodist Church closed in 2019.

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 AL-28.

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