Property for a church and a
school was purchased for $200 from the Don Juan Filhiol family on March
23, 1868. Two wooden buildings were constructed at the corner of
Adams and Congo Streets. The school served first through third grades.
In 1923, the current church
was built under the leadership of Rev. Hubbard Daniels. The contractors
for the new church included Arthur Smith, Frank McNeal, and Louis Ward
… all members of the church.
In 1966, the church started
a child care center. Mrs. Ruth Brown was the first director.
On October 29, 1992, the church
was added to the National Register of Historical Places. The pastor
at that time was Rev. Robert Addison.
St. James was the first church
in the Louisiana Conference to have an integrated pulpit. This occurred
during the episcopacy of Bishop William Oden. Rev. Ellen Blue served
the church as part of her Perkins School internship in 1994. |
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