Our History
The building which now stands as the Byrd’s Chapel Methodist Church is the 4th building erected in the Church's long history that bears this name. While the exact date that the first Byrd’s Chapel came into existence is not known, it is quite well established that it was sometime between 1820 and 1830. The Byrds family settled in this section of the country somewhere in the very early years of the 1800s and it is thought that they were Methodists even before coming here since the Methodist Church had already spread through the Carolinas from where they came. However, it is quite certain that they did not set up an organized Church here until the Methodist “Circuit Riders” began to come down the Pearl River into this section sometime between 1810 and 1820. One of these earliest circuit riders was a close relative of the Byrd settlers, whose name was Rev. John Ira E. Byrd. The history of early Methodism in Mississippi as written by Rev. J.G. Jones says that this same circuit rider preached in this section between the years of 1812-1822 and it is the theory of the present Mississippi Conference historian, Rev. J.B. Cain, that it was during Rev. Byrd’s ministry that Byrd’s Chapel was founded and possibly named for him. However, many people now believe that the Church was named for Sherrod Byrd and they may be right. There is no proof either way and besides both men were closely related and we do know it was from this family of Byrd’s that the Church got its name.
The first Church was built of logs and was located just across the present Highway 43 and a few hundred yards south of the present location. Even today there are still some grave markers about the location where the first old graveyard was located. There is no one living today who remembers this first Church, but we know it was there because some of the present members’ fathers and mothers told them of going to Church there.
It is not known what happened to this building but another 2-story frame building was erected on the same site as the present Church around 1855. This building served not only as a Church but also as a school, a Masonic Lodge, and the Courthouse of the former Pearl County. It is the first school that some of the real “old-timers” ever remember attending. Pearl County was formed from a part of Marion and a part of Hancock Counties with this section having been in Marion County. In 1877 there were some heavy charges brought against some men of the County and to destroy the evidence that was against them in the Courthouse (Byrd’s Chapel Church), they burned it down. Right after that happened the Courthouse was erected in Poplarville and the name of the County changed to Pearl River. Also, the Sherrod Byrd Masonic Lodge was moved to Poplarville and has been there ever since.
The Church was rebuilt of lumber and hewn timbers facing east and west and just east of the present building. During this time, from about the time of the Civil War until the time of the First World War, the Church was being held together under the able leadership of such men as Mr. Peter J. Harvey and Col Redden Byrd (son of Sherrod Byrd). These men and their family connections have through the years made Byrd’s Chapel not only a name or a building but truly a Church where the Spirit of God dwells.
This third building stood the test of time until 1934 when a tornado ripped through here and partially blew it down. Byrd’s Chapel was built for the fourth time using a lot of the lumber from the former building and the donated labor of the faithful people of the community. This building still stands today, and except for the addition of two Sunday School rooms and other improvements, is still the same.
The Cemetery in the Churchyard is one of the oldest in this County. There were many people buried there whose graves were never marked and we do not know how far back these go, but the oldest tomb is dated the same as the day Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, April 14, 1865.
Because of the fact that the Church and many records were burned in 1877 and that the home of Mr. P.J. Harvey burned with many of the Church records in the 1920s, we’ll probably never know the exact dates in our history. Most of the above was handed down by word of mouth.
