Centenary United Methodist Church (Franklinton, La.) records
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the activities of Centenary United Methodist Church (Franklinton, La.). The collection includes membership records, board meeting minutes, financial records, bulletins, women's society records, and Sunday School records.
The collection also includes quarterly conference, charge conference, and church conference records. The quarterly conference records from the 1890s to 1910s contain references to other nearby congregations: Angie, Bethel, Fisher, Hopewell, Magee's Chapel, McTyre's, Mount Hermon, Pleasant Valley, Tally's Chapel, and Varnado.
Dates
- 1864 - 2023
Creator
- Centenary United Methodist Church (Franklinton, La.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Physical rights are retained by the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.
Biographical / Historical
Centenary United Methodist Church was located at 1015 Cleveland Street, Franklinton, Louisiana.
Methodists' revival first reached the area in the early 1800s. There was a Methodist campground as early as 1834 at nearby Hayes Creek. The Centenary congregation was formed in 1832 and received its official charter in 1842. Meetings were held outdoors and in private homes. When the Franklinton Masonic Lodge was built in 1851, the congregation began using its lower floor for services. In 1883, church members began work on their own church when "Uncle" John R. Wood donated a piece of land to the congregation. The $1,650 building was completed and dedicated two years later.
The next church building was constructed in the early 1920s. The old church was taken down, and services were held in the courthouse during construction. The first service in the new facilities (which cost $11,900) took place on May 4, 1924.
The church continued to grow and saw the need for even larger facilities in the 1950s. An educational building was first built at a cost of $87,000. It was completed debt-free and opened with a dedication service on May 13, 1956. The old sanctuary was torn down and services were held in the fellowship hall while the new $74,260 sanctuary was built. It was completed in 1958, and the opening service was held on April 12, 1959. It was dedicated in 1964. Shortly after the completion of the sanctuary, the parsonage on Williams Street was built.
Centenary United Methodist Church disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church in May 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 NO-11.
Extent
5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged in five series:
Series 1: Membership records, 1864-2022
Series 2: Administrative records, 1891-2023.
Series 3: Financial records, 1907-1977
Series 4: Sunday School records, 1893-1942
Series 5: Women's societies, 1954-1967
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Unknown person dropped off collection at the Louisiana Conference Office (Baton Rouge, La.), then transferred by Rhonda Whitley (Ministry Coordinator, Congregational Development and Transformation) in 2023.
- Administrative records
- Church bulletins
- Church records and registers -- Louisiana -- Washington Parish
- Correspondence
- Financial records
- Histories (literary works)
- Membership lists
- Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference (South Central Jurisdiction)
- Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference. Woman's Society of Christian Service
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Louisiana Conference
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Property records
- Sunday schools
- United Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference
- Women -- Societies and clubs
Creator
- Centenary United Methodist Church (Franklinton, La.) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Centenary United Methodist Church (Franklinton, La.) records
- Author
- Jasmine Jones, Beth Vogler, and Chris Brown
- Date
- 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections Repository