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Centenary United Methodist Church (Franklinton, La.) records

 Collection
Identifier: LACUMC-2023-051

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

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.

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

Contact:
2911 Centenary Blvd.
Shreveport LA 71104 US
(318) 869-5462