St. Mark began in a one room
frame building in 1903. This church, called the Darmon Chapel Colored
Methodist Episcopal Church, was later destroyed by a tornado. It
began under the leadership of a pastor (Rev. W.J. Hampton) and nine laypeople
(R.M. Davis, M. Page, C. Johnson, J. Jones, J. Page, J.H.B. Hampton, Dave
Levy, R. Johnson, Andie Bowie, Sr.).
In 1908, church was held in
a Brush Harbor that was constructed on Guy Peart Lane. Later, services
were held in the home of member Jessy Page. In 1918, services were
held for a while in the home of Oliver Peart.
At Annual Conference, Rev. W.R.
London, Sr. was sent to the area to cultivate the membership. The
church was reorganized early in 1919. Money was raised at camp meetings
and an acre of land was bought for $50. The members cut down trees
on the land and build the St. Mark Methodist Episcopal Church on the southwest
side of Magda. Construction was completed within 2 years. The
cornerstone bears the names of Andie Bowie, Sr., Joe Jones, Frank Hughes,
Dave Levy, Joshua Dotson, Hickmon Shilow, and Abraham Williams.
Since most of the members lived
in Alexandria, the congregation decided to relocate and moved to its present
location in 1970. |
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