Annandale United Methodist Church restores Little White Church for its 175th anniversary

Annandale United Methodist Church is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year by restoring and rejuvenating the Little White Church, an Annandale landmark established in 1846. 

The old church is on Columbia Pike at Gallows Road, adjacent to the much larger and newer AUMC building. 

The Little White Church has been repainted, the rotting wood has been replaced, the baptismal font has been restored, and the museum on the lower level is being refurbished, says AUMC Communications Manager Richard Bass. 

A historic marker will be installed, possibly during a rededication ceremony on Oct. 2, commemorating the oldest church in Annandale. AUMC is planning to invite the community to tour the Little White Church on Oct. 3, noon-4 p.m.

It was founded in 1846 as Annandale’s Methodist Episcopal Church on farmland deeded by William Garges. The church was destroyed during the Civil War and rebuilt in 1870. 

Beginning in 1880, Annandale’s first public school was housed in the Little White Church’s basement. The museum has several items from that period. 

Fairfax County’s first Boy Scout Troop, 150, was launched at the Little White Church in 1912. The troop is still together and meets in the main AUMC building.

AUMC has used the Little White Church for weddings, baptisms, and other ceremonies and has rented it out to small congregations that couldn’t afford their own building.