Pelican United Methodist Church (Pelican, La.) records
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the activities of Pelican United Methodist Church (Pelican, La.). The collection includes membership records, audit records, committee records, administrative board records, financial records, church histories, photographs, bulletins, directories, and Sunday School records.
The collection also includes quarterly conference, charge conference, and church conference records. The quarterly conference books and records from the 1880s to 1960s contain references to other nearby congregations: Woodside (1887-1891), Ebenezer (1887-1891), Bethel (1890-1922), Philip's Chapel (1890-1891), Mitchell (1912-1938), Oxford (1920), Benson (1923-1941), South Mansfield (1924-1927), Nabarton (1924-1927, 1932-1941), Harmon (1923-1932), Trees (1928), Zion's Rest (1927-1931), Lula (1927-1931), Mansfield (1928-1931), Many (1928-1931), Converse (1929-1940, 1950-1969), Henrietta (1929-1930), Sexton Chapel (1933, 1940-1941), Noble (1936-1940, 1950-1969), and Bayou Scie (1936-1940).
The audit records and charge conference records from 2009-2017 include information from the Pleasant Hill congregation.
Dates
- 1887 - 2023
Creator
- Pelican United Methodist Church (Pelican, 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
Pelican United Methodist Church was located at 144 College Street, Pelican, Louisiana.
The church was organized with twelve members in 1890 by Rev. H.J. Boltz. At first, they met in a schoolhouse. By the time Rev. Boltz left four years later, they had 100 members and had acquired a church and a parsonage.
In 1892, Mr. A.F. Jackson donated a lot on the corner of Washington Street and Jackson Avenue to the church. The first church was built soon thereafter. It had two entrances at the front and was lit by kerosene lamps. The original bell in that church is still in use today. The current church sits on that same site.
The first parsonage was later replaced by the Buckley house when Rev. Cargill served as pastor. It was later replaced by a third parsonage. That parsonage was eventually torn down and replaced with the present structure.
The original church was dismantled in 1916 and a new church was completed by the following year. The pulpit is homemade, but the pulpit chairs were purchased with money raised by the Women’s Missionary Society. A wing was added to the north side of the church in 1939. The pulpit and pews were rotated 90 degrees so that the pews faced north instead of east. The addition included one large room and two smaller classrooms. The former pulpit area of the sanctuary was then used as a classroom. When the steeple developed leaks, it was removed in 1966 and the roof was reshaped.
Pelican United Methodist Church closed in June 2024.
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 SH-62.
Extent
3 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged by subject, then chronologically.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection transferred by Chris Brown (Centenary College of Louisiana archivist) in June 2024.
- Administrative records
- Architectural drawings (visual works)
- Bayou Scie United Methodist Church (Bayou Scie, La.)
- Certificates
- Church bulletins
- Church records and registers -- Louisiana -- DeSoto Parish
- Converse United Methodist Church (Converse, La.)
- Correspondence
- Financial records
- Histories (literary works)
- Membership lists
- Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference (South Central Jurisdiction)
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Louisiana Conference
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Noble United Methodist Church (Noble, La.)
- Photographs
- Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church (Pleasant Hill, La.)
- Property records
- Sunday schools
- United Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference
Creator
- Pelican United Methodist Church (Pelican, La.) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Pelican United Methodist Church (Pelican, La.) records
- Author
- Beth Vogler and Chris Brown
- Date
- 2025
- 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