The Methodist Episcopal Church of Ascension
Parish was incorporated in Donaldsonville on March 25, 1844. Andrew
Gregory bought a tract of land at the corner of Opelousas St. and "Rue
de Cabahanosse" (now Railroad Avenue) that same day. On April 13,
Gregory donated the land to the new Methodist Church. Later that
year, the name was changed to the Donaldsonville Methodist Episcopal Church.
The church was soon built on the property, and is still in use today.
The bell tower was replaced in 1926 after being damaged by a storm.
After hurricane Betsy knocked the tower down in 1965, it was never replaced.
The church was renovated in 1947.
In the 1950's, a Sunday School addition was
constructed. The old church parsonage on the property (facing Opelousas
St.) was torn down in the early 1960's. In 1963, after years on a
circuit, the church became a full-time charge in the Baton Rouge District
under Rev. Marshall C. Paine. |
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