Holly Grove Methodist Church, Vernon Parish Louisiana Submitted by Chere Lee Date: May 5, 2017 ************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************** Source: Tall Pines II. The History of Vernon Parish, Louisiana. Copyright 1988 by Erbon W. Wise. Holly Grove Methodists began 1835 To trace the history of the Holly Grove Methodist Church, located three miles west of Anacoco, it is necessary to briefly outline the early Methodist organiztion in Louisiana. During the first two decades of the nineteenth century there were almost no Methodist people or preachers in North and West Louisiana. Evidently the first penetration of Methodist into this section of our state was 1826. In that year, the Reverend Henry Stephensen, a local preacher from the Missouri Conference, came into what is now Claiborne Parish. He was admitted into the Mississippi Conference, which then included the work in Louisiana, at the close of 1828. The name of the Natchitoches circuit, which had been recently formed,was then changed to "Claiborne," and Mr. Stephenson served it in 1829. Three years later, 1832, the name "Sabine" appears for the first time in the list of appointments, with Preston Cooper in charge. Sabine also appears in 1833 and 1834, but after that it cannot be found in the appointments. Yet since then the names of "Claiborne," "Natchitoches," and "Darbonne" appear regularly. The supposition is that Natchitoches included the territory now in the parish of that name, and, without doubt, the bordering territory of Sabine, which then included Vernon Parish. During those early days, besides Cooper and Henry Stephenson already mentioned above, there were the following preachers appointed in charge of the Sabine (or as it thus became known in 1835 as the Natchitoches circuit): James P. Stephenson, M. McIntosh, and Henry B. Price. In 1841 the appointment of Joe Sanders to this circuit marks an epoch in the history of the Holly Grove Church. The church had already been organized as a Methodist Protestant Church, but in that year it was taken over by the Methodist Episcopal Church. This fact is revealed by the following quotations from the writings of Rev. Thomas Franklin (1826-1891); "Rev. James Ford, a Protestant Methodist organized a society in the first school house that was put up in this country." This agrees with an unidentified note found in an old church register possessed by Rev. R.T. Wright, a local preacher of this community. This anonymous note states that the Holly Grove Methodist church was organized in 1835 by Rev. James Ford, a Protestant Methodist preacher. Again, quoting from Rev. Thomas Franklin; "Rev. Joe Sanders, an itinerant Episcopal Methodist, traveled from Bienville Parish to this settlement, crossing Bayou Toro at the mouth, going to Negreet, then to Many, Bayou Scie, Pleasant Hill, and back to Bienville every month." Thus we see that from the appointment of Joe Sanders in charge of the Natchitoches circuit in 1841, the evidence is very substantial that the Holly Grove church has been a part of the itinerant connection. However, it should be taken into account that in a brief history of Holly Grove written by Rev. John Franklin and J.W. Conerly in 1917, it is stated by these two outstanding and faithful men that the Holly Grove Methodist Church was first organized as a Methodist Church, South, in 1849. At that time they state that the charter members have long since passed away, but many of their descendants still remain. Besides Joel Sanders, other preachers mentioned in the appointments to the Natchitoches circuit down to 1847, were Richard Overby, W. Hinds, John Eddins, and John M. Hamil. After 1847, the year the Louisiana Conference was organized the following is an almost complete list of the preachers who have served as pastor of the church: Daniel Watkins, 1849; Rev. Goodwin, 1850; P.P. Mathis, 1851; T.J. McLendon and Coarsed, 1856-7; Rev. Mr. Moore, 1863-4; J.M. Franklin 1865-8; R.H. Adair, 1869; Isaac Wright, 1870; J.M. Franklin, 1871; Rev. Mr. Smith, 1872-3; F.G. Hocut, 1874; A. Drowdy, 1875; R.M. Blocker, 1877; John Dampton, 1881; John Franklin, 1882; G.W. Sherod, 1884; S.S. Holiday, 1885; John Franklin, 1886; J.C. Cornline, 1887; T.R. Wimberly, 1888; Robert Hurst, 1889; J.C. Cornline, 1890-2; R.T. Wright, 1893; J.H. Stafford, 1894; H.C. Murphy, 1895-7; Joshua Sanders, 1898; S.S. Holiday, 1899-1900; E.L. Cargill, 1901; H.C. Murphy, 1902-3; Oscar Rainey, 1904; John Franklin, 1905-6; J.S. Roberts, 1907-8; A.J. Bonnett, 1909-11; John Franklin, 1912-13; J.E. Napper, 1914; Rev. Mr. Thompson, 1915; A.C. Searcy, 1916; C.F. Starnes, 1917; L.P. Moreland, 1918-22; W.W. Perry, 1923-6; C.B. Powell, 1927; J.L. Lay, 1928-29; L.E. Crooks, 1930; C.F. Shepherd, 1931-32; R.A. Bozeman, 1933; G.H. Corry, 1934-36; L.R. Nease, Jr., 1936-37; L.E. Crooks, 1937-38; R.T. Pickett, 1938-40; W.D. Gray, 1940-42; E.H. House, 1942-44; A.J. Ellender, 1944-46; L.N. Hoffpauir, 1946-49; J.H. Holder, 1949-52; C.J. Thibodaux, 1952-54; B.F. Roberts, 1954-57; S.L. Lantrip, 1957-58; Henry Pickett, 1958-60; K.K. Carithers, 1960-61; H.C. Howell, 1961-62; Raymond M. Crofoot, 1962-65; A.W. Croody, 1965-68; Howard Hudson, 1968; Walter Clark, 1969; Eskel L. Tatum, 1969. Quoting from Rev. John Franklin and J.W. Conerly, "Through the efforts of these godly men hundreds of souls have been saved, and the cause of our Lord has been strengthened." It was on the Anacoco circuit (as the circuit that included Holly Grove for many years was called), that the cause of Prohibition was first agitated in this parish. And the ward in which Holly Grove was located was one of the first wards in the state to vote dry. And through the efforts of one of its preachers, Brother Roberts, of Anacoco circuit, the parish was one among the first to vote dry. The building in which the church was organized was a log house located 140 yards north of where the church now stands. It was also used for school purposes. About the year 1854, the old house was removed and a new hewn log house 24 feet by 30 feet was built in its stead, about where the present building stands. The school was also conducted in this building. The people worshipped in this house until about the year 1872, when it was removed and a boxed house 34 feet by 40 feet was built. In 1894 a two-story frame building was erected. The first floor was used for church and the upper for a Masonic hall. The size of this church was felt to be too small, being only 24 feet by 34 feet, so it was remodeled in 1915 and an annex was added, which makes the present building nearly double its previous size.