Williams Chapel United Methodist Church

In 1824, Jonathan and Sarah Williams, their sons Simeon and Elisha, and their daughter Elizabeth with her husband Richard Bowden migrated from North Carolina to Pike County, Alabama. That same year, Methodist circuit rider Rev. Daniel C. McDane organized the church at Jonathan Williams's log cabin home a half-mile north. Simeon and Elisha Williams were immediately ordained as ministers, and Elisha became the first pastor. In 1833, Williams Chapel joined the Alabama Methodist Conference. The congregation met in Williams's home and under a brush arbor until 1830, when members built a log church less than a mile north of the present site under Richard Bowden's supervision. In 1860, the congregation constructed a new wooden church at this location. Between 1957 and 1959, the church added a solid brick enclosure over the 1860 wooden building, following directions in the will of the late Robert L. Williams. At that time, Edwin R. Sells served as pastor, W.C. Calloway, Fox Carter, and Fred Carter were church trustees, and Harry W. Gibson, Jr. served as estate trustee. Many current members are descendants of the original families. The church was listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on September 18, 2019.

Alabama · United States