Interesting fact: “One of the previous Our Rich Black Heritage Black Pioneers, Deacon Bennerson Stamper, was a dedicated member of St. Joseph.”
Have you ever bought a used item before? If you have, you probably know how frustrating it can be! I recently bought a used DVD player. At first, everything worked fine, but about eight hours later, while watching a copy of my mother, “Mrs. Jessie Mae Edwards – Phenix Blanson,” funeral, it shut down completely.
My first thought was to return it, but then I considered repurposing it as a vanity mirror. While salvaging accessories, I tried the power cord on one of my other DVD players. Surprisingly, it worked on my smaller player. Then I thought, “If this cord works on the smaller DVD player, maybe the smaller one’s cord will power the broken DVD player?” To my surprise, it did! My new used DVD player was working again, all thanks to letting my mind do the “W.O.R.K.S.”
Now, about the St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church of West Monroe, Louisiana. Records show it was first organized in 1874 on Cotton Port Plantation in the old St. Claire School House by Rev. Hall, a local colored pastor. It’s one of the oldest Black churches in West Monroe and in all of northeast Louisiana.
Rev. Hall pastored the church for several years before being succeeded by Rev. Joseph Bolden, who led the congregation until the old school house was destroyed by fire. The church then relocated to the 9th block of Wood Street in 1878. After over 20 years, Rev. Bolden resigned. In 1902, Rev. C. B. Collins became pastor and served 18 years before resigning. Between his departure and the church’s incorporation in 1952, several pastors served, including Revs. Oliver Williams, T. H. Evans, H. L. Broadnax, and J. H. Houseley.
Under Pastor Houseley, the church exchanged property with Mrs. Esby White and moved to a new location. After severe fire damage in 1924, it was rebuilt in 1925. Later pastors included Revs. Rankins, Jesse Allen, C. D. Simmons, Hudson, and J. H. Wilbert. Two financial leaders, Reuben Myles and Alex Fuller, spearheaded the campaign to incorporate the church in 1952.
In 1961, the church property at 700 Coleman Avenue was bought by the Louisiana State Highway Department for a highway project. The congregation purchased new property at 206 New Natchitoches Road, where the church was rebuilt by November 1962, temporarily holding services at Tim Tippitt School.
This week’s serving of “Our Rich Black Heritage” by Garry O’Dell Blanson highlights a remarkable history and hopefully inspires you to learn more about one of northeast Louisiana’s oldest Black churches.
