Byrd's Chapel UMC's first services were held in about 1820, after Sherrod and Zelfa Rouse Byrd came to the area, sometime between 1810-1820. Rev. Sherrod Byrd was a Methodist circuit rider, as was his nephew, Rev. John Ira Ellis Byrd, who began holding services in a log building not far from the location of the present church, on land donated by Peter and Emily Stewart Harvey, near what is now Hwy. 43. The current sanctuary is the 4th since the church's inception. Byrd's Chapel cemetery is believed to be the oldest in Pearl River County. The original cemetery, adjoining the first structure, was either destroyed or simply faded into obscurity after the congregation's move in the 1850's, across present-day Hwy. 43. The second building was used from the 1850's until the 1870's, when it was destroyed by fire. The next building was in use until it was damaged by a tornado in 1934. It was shortly after that that the current sanctuary was constructed, on land, also, donated by Peter and Emily Stewart Harvey. Timbers from the church built in the 1870's was used in the construction of this building.
Besides Byrd, some of the names associated with the early history of Byrd's Chapel were: Harvey, Tate and Mitchell.
When Hurricane Katrina struck Mississippi and Louisiana in 2005, Byrd's Chapel suffered much damage. Thanks to many volunteers, including several teams of workers on mission trips to the coast, the church has been repaired and has been used by mission teams as a base, as they continue to make trips to the coast to help in the rebuilding of that area.
To read about the "Battle of Harvey" with the infamous outlaw Copeland gang, you can visit the Copeland page on my MS Outlaws site: "The Notorious Copeland Gang" (entries shared by Mary Anne Hammonds and Helen Clunie can be found at the bottom of the page). |
