Arbala UMC

History of Gafford Chapel UMC

The origin of the church began in the Russell School House, a log house built about 1860, located about two miles southwest of the site of the present church.  This Methodist church was organized at the Russell School House in 1881 and the congregation was first known as the White Oak Methodist Congregation.  The land for Gafford Chapel Methodist Church was deed by Thomas Gafford and wife Martha (Rawson) Gafford to J.B. Proctor, John L. Marshall, and Randall Ramey, trustees for the Methodist Episcopal Church July 27, 1881.  This land measuring one and one-half acres was located about a quarter mile south west of the present church.  The earliest recorded pastor of the church was Bro. Hendrix in 1884.

The property of the Gafford Chapel Cemetery contained two and three-fourths acres and was originally granted April 11, 1884 from M.L. Garvin to the citizens in the locality of White Oak congregation and Gafford Chapel Community.  The oldest known grave in the cemetery is that of Richard Crook, b August 11, 1801 and died August 22, 1858.  He apparently was buried there before the land was actually deeded for the cemetery.  

In 1897 a new church was built on the same tract of land with logs hauled by wagon teams from the Winnsboro area.  This church was moved in 1943 to the site of the present church and remodeled.  This location was part of the land from the Chapin Estate where the Cedar Groove school was located directly across the road from the cemetery.  In the late 1950's some Sunday school rooms were added.  In 1985 a new sanctuary was constructed and the old sanctuary was converted to a small fellowship area with two classrooms and an office.  

With a spurt of growth in the younger adult group with small children in the last five years, the need for more space became evident.  In 2006, the 125th year of the Gafford Chapel United Methodist Church, the oldest part of the building which was constructed in 1897 was torn down to make way for a new Sunday School wing.  Some of the original logs and nails used in 1897 were saved when the old building was demolished in 2006.

Some of the early families in the Gafford Chapel community before 1900 included Edwards, Odom, Russell, Young, Chapin, Gafford, Romine, Wicker, Black, Ardis, Asbill, Wilburn, Koon, Williams, Worsham, Murray, Hazelwood, Badley, Fry, Hall. Pogue, Price, Marshall, Proctor, and Ramey.

Written in 2006 by Marynell Bryant from the following sources:                

1955 Gafford Chapel History by Laura Russell Edwards and Ruth Worsham Williams; 1965 Gafford Chapel History up to date by Mary Kate Phillips;  Interviews and notes by Russell Edwards and Alms Ardis;  2002 Cemetery survey by Michael Dodd of Cooper Land Surveying Co.