A Sunday School was begun at
Algiers Point in 1840 by a Mr. Smiley. A church was organized in
1843 by Rev. E.H. Watkins, pastor of the Moreau Street Church. Land
was donated in 1844 by J.B. Olivier and his wife Alix. Citizens of
Algiers contributed towards the church, and the Good Hope Chapel was built
in April 1844 by Mr. Tuttle of McDonoughville. The site is
located about 300 feet beyond the levee into the river at a depth of 60-80
feet. The chapel was incorporated and renamed Algiers Methodist Episcopal
Church, South later that year.
When the levee began to erode
in the 1850's, land was purchased at the corner of Delaronde and Lavergne
Streets. A new, larger church was completed in 1857. The steeple
had a large gilded hand pointing upward. The church was remodeled
in 1868 and in 1898. The church was destroyed by a 1915 hurricane.
Though a temporary church was reconstructed at the site, the congregation
planned on a new church on Opelousas St. They had purchased two lots
there back in 1914. After the war, construction on a new church began
under the leadership of Rev. C.C. Weir and was dedicated on March 26, 1922
The Dr. A.C. King Educational
building was completed in 1955 to accommodate the growing congregation.
The sanctuary was renovated in 1979.
The church is still sometimes
referred to as Algiers United Methodist Church.
Source: Through Stained Glass Windows: A Brief History
of Algiers United Methodist Church (dropping the "First"). |
