The Methodist Church
(South)
(South)
The Methodist Church
(North)
(North)
808 East Central Avenue
LaFollette, Tennessee
LaFollette, Tennessee
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
THE LAFOLLETTE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
THE LAFOLLETTE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Sometime prior to 1840 a Methodist Church was organized in a small log house called Walker's School House which was about one mile east of the present-day LaFollette. From 1890 until 1903 the Baptists and Methodists held services in a frame building in Douglas Town. In 1902, a new Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was erected on Nevada Avenue and in 1903, a new Methodist Episcopal Church (First Church) was erected on the corner of Central Avenue and Indiana Avenue. In March 1913, the church on Nevada Avenue was destroyed by fire. In 1914, the church on East Central and 1st Streets was opened.
The Methodist Church, South, (Central) was a red brick building with a bell tower, two-story in the front with a one-room addition in back. A balcony in the sanctuary had no seats but was an access hall to Sunday School rooms. There were additional Sunday School rooms in the basement and in the addition. The sanctuary had a sloping floor, two tiers of pews with a center and side aisles. The pulpit was on a dais two steps above the floor. The piano sat to the side in front of the pulpit. There was no audio equipment, but two pews were equipped with earphones which could be used by those hard of hearing.
The windows were masterpieces of stained glass with a small area at the bottom of each window with the name of the person donating the window. A small city park occupies this location today.
The Methodist Church, North, (First) was at the northeast corner of East Central Avenue and Indiana. It was a large cut stone and brick building with beautiful stained glass windows, massive wooden pews in three sections and on a sloping floor in the rear. The parsonage was located behind the church facing Indiana Avenue.
In 1939, the Methodist Church was formed by the unification of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church.
In 1946, Central Methodist Church and First Methodist Church of LaFollette merged and took the name LaFollette Methodist Church, using the building of the former Central Church.
In April 1960, $125,000 was raised in four days to build the present structure. Dr. L.J. Seargeant chaired a committee of A. Russell Claiborne, Hugh Crowder, Virgil Davis and Clifford McCarty to purchase the property and oversee the construction of the new building. Architects were Cooper and Perry of Knoxville and Hubert Falls Construction Company the builder. The present building was opened for worship in 1965 and dedicated on May 11, 1975.
In 1968, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church united to form The United Methodist Church, thus we became The LaFollette United Methodist Church.
Pastors of the LaFollette United Methodist Church: Mitchell O. Petus, 1963-65; Paul D. Quirk, 1966-68; Ogleva Street, 1969-73; Robert B. Hudson, 1974-75; Ray P. Hargraves, 1976-78; George O. Harr, Jr., 1979-81; Riley Huffstetler, 1982-87; Carl W. Ware, Jr., 1988-92; Donald E. Thomas, 1993-2000; Malcolm Wansley, 2000-03, Danny Hensley, 2003-06; Dave Henderson, 2007-08; Kenneth Faught, 2008-Present.
The Methodist Church, South, (Central) was a red brick building with a bell tower, two-story in the front with a one-room addition in back. A balcony in the sanctuary had no seats but was an access hall to Sunday School rooms. There were additional Sunday School rooms in the basement and in the addition. The sanctuary had a sloping floor, two tiers of pews with a center and side aisles. The pulpit was on a dais two steps above the floor. The piano sat to the side in front of the pulpit. There was no audio equipment, but two pews were equipped with earphones which could be used by those hard of hearing.
The windows were masterpieces of stained glass with a small area at the bottom of each window with the name of the person donating the window. A small city park occupies this location today.
The Methodist Church, North, (First) was at the northeast corner of East Central Avenue and Indiana. It was a large cut stone and brick building with beautiful stained glass windows, massive wooden pews in three sections and on a sloping floor in the rear. The parsonage was located behind the church facing Indiana Avenue.
In 1939, the Methodist Church was formed by the unification of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church.
In 1946, Central Methodist Church and First Methodist Church of LaFollette merged and took the name LaFollette Methodist Church, using the building of the former Central Church.
In April 1960, $125,000 was raised in four days to build the present structure. Dr. L.J. Seargeant chaired a committee of A. Russell Claiborne, Hugh Crowder, Virgil Davis and Clifford McCarty to purchase the property and oversee the construction of the new building. Architects were Cooper and Perry of Knoxville and Hubert Falls Construction Company the builder. The present building was opened for worship in 1965 and dedicated on May 11, 1975.
In 1968, the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church united to form The United Methodist Church, thus we became The LaFollette United Methodist Church.
Pastors of the LaFollette United Methodist Church: Mitchell O. Petus, 1963-65; Paul D. Quirk, 1966-68; Ogleva Street, 1969-73; Robert B. Hudson, 1974-75; Ray P. Hargraves, 1976-78; George O. Harr, Jr., 1979-81; Riley Huffstetler, 1982-87; Carl W. Ware, Jr., 1988-92; Donald E. Thomas, 1993-2000; Malcolm Wansley, 2000-03, Danny Hensley, 2003-06; Dave Henderson, 2007-08; Kenneth Faught, 2008-Present.