Paul B. Freeland

Paul Butterfield Freeland (September 15, 1904 – November 1, 1976) was a Presbyterian minister, historian, philanthropist, and genealogist from Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish in south Louisiana, United States.

Freeland was born in Crowley to Charles J. Freeland, Sr., and the former Almyra Butterfield. He graduated from Crowley High School in 1921. He then attended the Presbyterian-affiliated Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, from which he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1925. He thereafter obtained a bachelor of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia, in 1928. He did postgraduate study at New College in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He pastored Presbyterian churches in Opelousas, the seat of St. Landry Parish; Covington, the seat of St. Tammany Parish; and Duncan, Oklahoma, the seat of Stephens County near Lawton.

Freeland was also the secretary of Overseas Relief for the Presbyterian Church. In 1951, he wrote a letter to Time magazine in which he decried "the forgotten Arab refugees." In remarks some might consider still relevant in the 21st century, Freeland referred to a "neglected" situation which has led to "deterioration not only in the physical and [the] moral condition of the Arab refugees but also of our international relations . . . "

Freeland wrote The First Presbyterian Church of Crowley, Louisiana, 1890-1965 and coauthored Acadia Parish, Louisiana: A History to 1900. His collection of photographs and memorabilia of the Crowley area is located in the archives of the Acadia Parish Library in Crowley. He also donated a collection to the Confederate Stamp Alliance.

At his death, Freeland left a stamp collection which sold for $2 million to four Presbyterian churches. A fourth of that amount, or $500,000, was used to build a library annex at the Presbyterian Historical Foundation at Montreat, North Carolina. The annex was dedicated on August 15, 1982, and named the "Paul B. Freeland Hall". Freeland served on the foundation board. The "Paul B. Freeland Professorship" is given in his honor at Davidson College, in biology, philosophy, and religion. His grave is in the Crowley Protestant Cemetery.

References

"Paul Butterfield Freeland", A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, Vol. 1 (1988), p. 321

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