St. Margaret Queen of Scotland Church, Albany, LA

From the Árpádhon Hungarian Settlement Cultural Association website:

“Construction began in 1910 and reached a stage that year that allowed it to be used for religious services. Much of the lumber used in the church was donated by Brackenridge Lumber Company, located at the present Interstate 12 Albany-Springfield interchange, and by Thomas Lumber Company from Springfield.

The church was used partially incomplete for some time as many parishioners recall attending mass and being able to see the bright Louisiana sky overhead. Completion was slow since all labor was donated.

Farmers tended to their strawberry fields and helped in church construction on weekends when there was no farm work. Construction was completed in May 1912 and the solemn blessing took place September 8, 1912.

 

(Above) The church in Albany, Louisiana shares its name with St Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh Castle, the oldest building in Edinburgh.

The church was dedicated to St. Margaret Queen of Scotland who was born in Hungary. St. Margaret was well known for her holiness, feeding the poor and her great works of mercy. She was a great blessing to the people.

Since there was no resident priest, a priest came by horseback or by a horse-drawn buggy from Gessen, now known as Rosaryville, located on Highway 22, east of Springfield about 5 miles away. Archbishop Blenk from the Archdiocese of New Orleans approved the official name of St. Margaret Queen of Scotland.”