1876 Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church

Beautiful Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church is located on the corner of St. Charles Avenue and General Taylor Street.

The church was erected in 1875, with the first services celebrated Jan. 2, 1876. The original name, St. Charles Avenue Methodist Church, was changed to its present name in 1887 in honor of Robert W. Rayne, a New Orleans merchant who paid for more than half the cost of construction. He did so in honor of his son, who was killed in the Civil War.

A plaque over the door of the church reads: “To Him who redeemed me and hath kept me all my life – and in memory of my son William who was fatally wounded at Chancellorsville.”

For many years, the tall and delicate steeple of the church has been illuminated at night, giving the church the name “The Church of the Lighted Steeple.”

Source: Buddy Stall at http://clarionherald.org/19991209/stall.htm