The church was founded in 1870 by
Rev. Frederick White. At that time, it was known as Fairview Church
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Services were first held
at a sugar house and later in a schoolhouse near the Milburn Post Office.
In 1894, Wilson A. O’Quin, Sr. donated
land along Bayou Beouf to the church. The building was constructed
by Hugh and Lee Evans at a cost of $1600 and was renamed after the founding
pastor. The church is built in the Gothic style, with a tall steeple
and a high cathedral ceiling. A pot-belly stove was located in front
of the pulpit to provide heat in winter. The church cemetery is around
the church.
In later years, the ceiling was lowered
to allow the space to be heated more efficiently in the winter. The
tall steeple, which had been hard to maintain, was replaced by a shorter
steeple topped with a cross. The rebuilt steeple was a gift from
Mrs. Gladys White Martin. The education building used for Sunday
School was later sold and moved off of the property.
In 1983, White’s Chapel was
added to the National Historical Register of Historic Places. |
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