The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in England and Scotland as an evangelical event in association with the communion season. It was held for worship, preaching and communion on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century. Revivals and camp meetings continued to be held by various denominations, and in some areas of the mid-Atlantic, led to the development of seasonal cottages for meetings.
Denver, formerly known as Dry Pond, is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,309.
Mount Tabor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) established as a self-governing Methodist camp meeting in what is now Parsippany–Troy Hills, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Wesleyan Grove is a 34-acre (14 ha) National Historic Landmark District in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Named after John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church. Also known as the Martha's Vineyard Campmeeting Association (MVCMA) or the Campgrounds, it was the first summer religious camp established in the United States. It is famous for its approximately 300 colourful cottages in a style now described as Carpenter Gothic.
Indian Field Methodist Campground is a camp meeting site for the Methodist Church in Dorchester County, South Carolina. It is on SC Route S-18-73, off US Route 15, about 5 mi (8 km) north of Saint George. Indian Field was built in 1848 and has been a site for religious gatherings for over 160 years. It is associated with the Indian Field United Methodist Church located on U.S. Highway 15 about 2 miles (3 km) north of the campground and just south of U.S. Highway 178. It was named a historic district of the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1973.
Asbury Grove, located in Hamilton, Massachusetts, was formed during the camp meeting religious movement popular in the mid-19th century. Originally set on seventy-five acres of land, the camp was founded by the Methodist church in 1857. Ten of the original seventy-five acres were purchased from Joseph Dodge, a local farmer. This land included a farmhouse, which later became the Superintendent's Cottage.
Anderson Camp Ground is a historic camp ground in Brushy Creek, in Anderson County, Texas, United States.
Cypress Methodist Camp Ground is a historic Methodist camp meeting in Ridgeville, Dorchester County, South Carolina. Cypress Camp Ground was functional as early as 1794, and an adjacent cemetery contains graves from the early 1800s. The campground is in the general shape of a rectangle of 34 tents, or cabins, made of rough-hewn lumber. These cabins, rectangular shaped, are generally 1 1/2-stories and contain earthen floors.
Mount Carmel A.M.E. Zion Church & Campground is a historic African Methodist Episcopal Zion camp meeting grounds in Heath Springs, South Carolina, Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was established in 1866 and consists of a complex of approximately 55 small "cabins" or "tents" and the brick church of Mt. Carmel A.M.E. Zion Church is located in the general form of a rectangle. Mount Carmel A.M.E Zion Church Campmeeting starts every year on the first Wednesday in September, and last for 4–5 days. An "arbor," or open-air structure, is located in the center of the complex, where music, gospel singing, praise and worship, preaching and teachings are held. People come to worship, fellowship, network, and eat food from as far as New York City, NY to Orlando, FL. There is also a section on the grounds for vendors. The majority of the cabins are small frame, some are two story cabins for larger families made from concrete block and wooden structures. Also on the property is the church cemetery.
Des Plaines Methodist Camp Ground is a historic Methodist church camp at 1250 Campground Road in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA.
St. Paul Camp Ground, also known as St. Paul A.M.E. Camp Ground, is a historic African Methodist Episcopal camp meeting and national historic district located near Harleyville, Dorchester County, South Carolina. The district encompasses 43 contributing buildings. It was established about 1880, and the buildings and grounds are used for one week each year. The tabernacle is a one-story building clad in rough-sawn weatherboard. Also on the property are 54 tents, two stores, and a storage house.
Camp Welfare is a historic African-American religious campground located near Winnsboro, South Carolina Fairfield County, South Carolina. It was founded after the American Civil War by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. It is a collection of approximately 100 one-story, frame, weatherboarded cabins called tents arranged in a double "U"-shape. The focal point of the camp is the arbor; a rough, gable roofed wooden shelter with wooden benches. Also located at the camp is Zion Church; a frame building with a gable roof surmounted by a belfry built about 1930.
Cattle Creek Campground, also known as Cattle Creek United Methodist Church and Campground, is a historic camp meeting ground that is now a national historic district located near Rowesville, Orangeburg County, South Carolina. The district encompasses 37 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site. It was founded in 1786, although this date has been challenged. The campground burned in 1898 and was rebuilt. Another fire in 2017 destroyed 15 "tents," which were again rebuilt. It includes 36 cabins, called “tents,” arranged in a wide semi-circle. They are located around an open, 56 feet by 81 feet, pavilion structure known as the “stand” or “tabernacle.” Also located on the property is a cemetery. It is one of three remaining Methodist campgrounds in South Carolina.
Balls Creek Campground is a historic Methodist camp meeting and national historic district located near Bandy's Crossroads, Catawba County, North Carolina.
Chapel Hill Church Tabernacle is a historic Methodist church tabernacle located near Denton, Davidson County, North Carolina. It was built in 1870 and enlarged in the 1920s. It is a one-story, heavy-timber, open-framework building, open on three sides. It has a concrete floor and a gable-on-hip roof. The tabernacle was originally used for the religious services at the annual camp meetings. The tabernacle is located on the grounds of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, whose congregation dates from 1854.
Center Arbor is a historic Methodist tabernacle located at Center, Davie County, North Carolina. It was built in 1876, and is a large, open, rectangular timber-framed structure four bays wide and eight bays deep. It measures approximately 60 feet wide and 80 feet deep. The tabernacle is associated with Center United Methodist Church and was the site of camp meeting revivals.
Rock Springs Camp Meeting Ground is a historic Methodist camp meeting ground located near Denver, Lincoln County, North Carolina. The arbor was built in 1832, and is a rectangular open structure with a deep hipped roof and ventilation cap at the apex. It has a raised platform with a pine pulpit and seating for 1,000. The property has 288 numbered wooden "tents" placed in two and a partial third concentric ring around the arbor. Tent No. 1 is believed to date to the early-1830s. Rock Springs Camp Meeting Ground is the earliest camp meeting organization in North Carolina.
The Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting Ground is a historic Methodist camp meeting national historic district located near Waxhaw, Union County, North Carolina. The district encompasses four contributing buildings and one contributing site. The main building is the arbor that dates to 1830. It is an 80 feet long by 60 feet wide open sided frame structure with a gable roof surround on all four sides by pent roof extensions. Located nearby are the church and former schoolhouse, now used as the preacher's dwelling, and the old cemetery.
In Methodism, a tabernacle is the center of a camp meeting, where revival services occur. These evangelistic services are aimed at preaching the two works of grace in Methodism: (1) the New Birth and (2) entire sanctification. They additionally call backsliders to repentance. Tabernacles may be constructed in a cruciform-shaped fashion and are most often made of wood. Like the interior of many Methodist churches, in the center of the tabernacle is an altar upon which the Eucharist is consecrated; a pulpit stands near it and is used by preachers to deliver sermons. The area of the tabernacle housing the altar and pulpit is delimited by the mourner's bench, which is used by congregants during altar calls. Surrounding the tabernacle itself are usually several cabins and/or tents, where people stay while attending the camp meeting.
The Sterling Camp Meeting Grounds, also known at the Worcester Methodist District Camp was a Methodist camp ground founded in 1852 that was located south of the East and West Waushacum Ponds and two miles south of Sterling, Massachusetts. The 14-mile Fitchburg and Worcester Rail Line brought visitors to Sterling Junction, which was a short walk to the Sterling Camp Meeting Grounds. The Boston and Maine Railroad brought people from Boston, Lowell, and Cambridge for the one week to 10-day retreats. More than 1,000 people attended the summer revivals from all over the state of Massachusetts. The site had a number of amenities for lodging, meals, and services.
3. Floyd, M (2018) A Place to Worship: African-American Camp Meetings in the Carolinas Columbia: University of South Carolina Press
