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First United Methodist Church (Winnsboro, La.) records

 Collection
Identifier: LACUMC-2023-089

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the activities of First United Methodist Church (Winnsboro, La.). The collection includes membership records, administrative board minutes, and trustee minutes. Some of the administrative board minutes appear on church newsletters.

Dates

  • 1892 - 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

First United Methodist Church was located at 1502 West Street, Winnsboro, Louisiana.

The Winnsboro congregation dates back to the middle of the 19th century. Though the exact date of its founding is not known, the first baptism entry in the original record book is by Stephen J. Davis and is dated 1854 or 1859. A sign on the church says it was founded in 1847. The record book itself bears the date 1858. After meeting in homes and at the courthouse for a number of years, the first church structure was completed in 1872.

After purchasing the property on August 26, 1872, the pines and oaks were cleared. Solomon Lowry was hired to build the church. It was painted white and had a bell on the steeple.

Under the leadership of Rev. H.W. Rickey, a new $32,000 church was completed in 1927. In 1957, an education building was added at a cost of almost $79,000.

In the 1980s, the congregation felt the need to expand their outreach, especially to youth. The idea to build an addition was approved on October 28, 1991. Money was raised over a period of years, with $55,000 being given by Mrs. Teddie Hatfield in memory of her husband Charles. The building was purchased, renovated, and named the Hatfield Building. Rev. Charles Langford led in the consecration service (September 24, 1995) and in the dedication service (October 12, 1997).

Winnsboro 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 MO-88.

Extent

0.75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged by subject, then chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred by Sherry Randall in July 2023.

Title
Finding Aid to First United Methodist Church (Winnsboro, La.) records
Author
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