Loranger Methodist Church
The church was built in 1915 and was lit by kerosene lanterns with a stable behind the church to accommodate horses. During the Great Depression the basement was used to teach the villagers how to preserve food.
It is a three-story building amidst a modern Loranger school complex, with a bungalow-style porch and a square belltower with a distinctive spreading pyramid roof. It was built of Louisiana Longleaf Yellow Pine donated by the Genesee Lumber Company, which donated lumber for another church and a school (neither of which survive), as part of making the area more attractive for in-migration of workers for the company.
The church became the center for many community activities: "The large sanctuary on the main floor doubled as an auditorium for plays and choral presentations for the bi-weekly 'excursions' of prospective customers the land agents kept bringing in. The auditorium also served for graduations from the school across the street; community service talks by farm experts; and in the 1920s, movies were regularly shown after careful previewing to keep Hollywood from embarrassing the sponsors."
A collection of Genesee Lumber Company historic photos, including of this church, is available at Southeastern Louisiana University. The historic company is not the same as a different company of the same name in Genesee County, New York, which was formed in 1928.
See also
- Arcola Presbyterian Church: also NRHP-listedin in Tangipahoa Parish
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Loranger UMC celebrates 100 years of mission". United Methodist Church. August 7, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ Mrs. W.W. Carriere (December 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Loranger Methodist Church". National Park Service. Retrieved August 7, 2019. With accompanying six photos from 1980
- ^ "Genesee Lumber Company Model Farm Photo Collection". Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ "History of Genesee Lumber". Retrieved August 7, 2019. Includes video report of its history.