The Little White Church

Here follows an excerpt from the 1970 Fairfax County Master Inventory of Historic Sites which contained sites from the Historic American Buildings Survey Inventory:

Annandale Methodist Church:
The first church site was acquired in 1846, where the Seven-Eleven Store now stands at the east end of the Annandale community. The street location of that church is noted on an 1862 Civil War map prepared from the Division Headquarters of General Irwin McDowell, U.S.A. The structure, a sketch of which appears in Leslie's, "Famous Leaders and Battle Scenes of the Civil War," was destroyed during the war. In about 1870, a new wooden church was erected by Thomas Walker, with Greek Revival architraves over the windows and door. The first public school in Annandale was held in this building about 1880 and the church bell was for a time used as the community's fire alarm. In 1910, Lowell Wakefield and John Cock built the vestibule, belfry and pulpit extension. At the present time, the building is being used and maintained by the Free Will Baptist Church.

The brick church now used by the Methodist congregation was constructed on top of the hill in 1946. Additions were made in 1956 and 1966. The Asbury Door in the brick building is from the eighteenth century Adams house, Church Hill, which once stood on Leesburg Pike near Seven Corners. The door was given to the Annandale Methodist Church by the Methodist Historical Society of Northern Virginia in 1962.

A cemetery with gravestones dating back to 1828 is on the property.


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Here follows a history of the church as excerpted from their website:

A Historic Space
Our rich heritage spans more than 175 years

The first Annandale Methodist Episcopal Church was built in 1846 on land donated by William Garges. During the Civil War, the small frame building was taken over by the Union Army for use as a hospital. It was burned, along with the rest of the village, when the army withdrew from the area. Capt. Ambrose Cock, a trustee, opened his home for worship services until a new building was completed in 1870 on land he had donated. This is now known as the Little White Church. In 1907 a vestibule, belfry and pulpit extension were added. In 1908 the Ladies’ Aid raised money for a bell to hang in the steeple, which served as the only fire alarm in Annandale until 1923.

The first public school in Annandale held classes in the basement of Annandale United Methodist Church from the 1870s until about 1884, when a one-room schoolhouse was constructed in the village. The schoolhouse expanded to two rooms in the early 20th century and was replaced by a brick school building in 1926.

(The graveyard is older than the church – the oldest stone is dated 1828.)

In 1946 a brick building was erected on the hill on land given by Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Lynch. The area was growing rapidly with many young families. This was reflected in a thriving Sunday School that filled every corner with classes for children, youth, and adults. In response to this pressure a larger sanctuary and more classrooms were built in 1955. A Weekday Preschool was established in 1961 and a Mother’s Day Out program (now ELP) in 1965. Both of these programs still provide an enriching experience for young children.

In 1965 the office wing was built. Church membership peaked in 1968 at 2815. Three services were held each Sunday morning. Music was always an important part of worship and the first full time music director, Louise Miller, was hired in 1985.

A Baptist congregation joined the Annandale community in 1942, thus ending the Methodist monopoly in the area. Today churches of numerous denominations are located in Annandale. Twenty-five of them have banded together in the Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) to meet needs of low income families with such services as day care, emergency food, and transportation. AUMC was one of the eight founding churches in 1968 and continues as a strong supporter.

Easter, 1996, was celebrated in the newest and largest sanctuary. This was the culmination of a project begun in February 1989. An expanded music department and an all-day care facility for young children were included to meet the needs of a changing community. 2009 saw a major renovation to the existing facilities with such things as new windows and carpeting throughout the building and a redecorated fellowship hall. In 2021, we celebrated our 175th anniversary with a rededication ceremony.