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Prior to 1846, Methodist in Annandale probably met at Green Spring Farms Mansion, near the intersection of Little River Turnpike and Braddock Road. Pioneer Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury made many trips to the Annandale area, visiting Green Spring Farms owner, John Moss, and hold services at that location. By 1846 there were enough active Methodists in the area that William Garges deeded a portion of his farm to the trustees of the Annandale Methodist Church for the erection of a place of worship thereon. The small frame building that was constructed served the congregation until the Civil War when it 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. During this period, Captain Ambrose Cock, one of the original trustees, opened his home for worship services. This practice continued until the new building was completed in 1870, on land given by Captain Cock. A small balcony seated Negro worshippers. The full basement was used for storage until 1880 when the first public school classes in Annandale were housed here. Pot belly stoves furnished the heat. In 1907 a vestibule, belfry and pulpit extension were added, giving us the Little White Church as it stands today. In 1908 the Ladies' Aid Society presented the church with a bell to call the faithful to worship. It also served as the only fire alarm in Annandale until about 1923. The bell is now situated in the Memorial on Columbia Pike. Remodeling in the 1920's included removing the balcony, replastering, replacing the floor, installing a floor furnace and electricity. An electric organ replaced the pump organ. In addition to worship services, an adult Bible class and church meetings were held in the sanctuary. At this period the basement was divided into three classrooms and a coal bin to supply the pipeless furnace. In 1957 the original pews were removed, except for two fastened to the rear wall. Oak pews from the 1946 sanctuary replaced them. The building was used for an adult call and for special occasions. From 1967 until 1984 a Freewill Baptist congregation in need of a meeting place used the area in return for maintaining it. As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of their wedding in the Little White Church, Helen and Edwin Lynch made a generous gift to the church for its restoration. Extensive work was done, strengthening the foundation, removing the partitions in the basement and finishing it as one room, adding a bathroom. In the sanctuary the original wainscoting and woodwork were re-finished "natural" in place of the dark brown paint. Two devoted members of the congregation, Paul Arnold and Scotty Walters, built pews that were replicas of the original. Again, as with the woodwork, a "natural" finish replaced the dark brown. Electric baseboard heat took the place of the pipeless furnace. Basically, it looks like the original but is more attractive. The work was completed in 1988, and the building re-dedicated. The Korean portion of our congregation met there for a while. It is a favorite place for small weddings. In 1912 the building that now houses the ACCA warehouse was erected. It had a stage and served as a community meeting place. When Troop 150, the first boy scout troop in Fairfax County, was organized 1928, it met there. In the 1930'sand 40's it was used for Sunday School classes and partitioned so that it was no longer available for large meetings. The rural nature of Fairfax County is shown by the church organization. Annandale was one of the nine point circuit. That is, one minister served nine churches. Obviously he couldn't preach in every church every Sunday, but made his scheduled rounds. This left much responsibility to the lay people for conduct of the Sunday School, maintenance of the building and management of the finances. By the 1930's Annandale was part of a four point charge. In 1942 it became a Station Church, having its own pastor. The graveyard is older than the church. The oldest stone is dated 1828 and is that of Susan Garges, wife of William Garges who deeded the first piece of land for the church. It was apparently a family burying ground before it became available for wider use. The neo-Georgian brick building up the hill is really two churches, one facing Columbia Pike, built in 1946 and one parallel to the road, built in 1956. 1966 saw a modern education building under construction. In 1996 the present sanctuary was constructed. The large stain glass window of Jesus with outstretched arms faces Columbia Pike. The story of the growth of churches like Annandale is a familiar one in Northern Virginia. Annandale is unusual in that it has stayed at the same site and has preserved its old buildings to illustrate that growth.
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