Oak Bluffs is a town located on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,341 at the 2020 United States Census. It is one of the island's principal points of arrival for summer tourists, and is noted for its "gingerbread cottages" and other well-preserved mid- to late-nineteenth-century buildings. The town has been a historically important center of African American culture since the eighteenth century.
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.
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters. The abundance of North American timber and the carpenter-built vernacular architectures based upon it made a picturesque improvisation upon Gothic a natural evolution. Carpenter Gothic improvises upon features that were carved in stone in authentic Gothic architecture, whether original or in more scholarly revival styles; however, in the absence of the restraining influence of genuine Gothic structures, the style was freed to improvise and emphasize charm and quaintness rather than fidelity to received models. The genre received its impetus from the publication by Alexander Jackson Davis of Rural Residences and from detailed plans and elevations in publications by Andrew Jackson Downing.
The Flying Horses Carousel is the oldest operating platform carousel in the United States. Located in the historic resort community of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, on Martha's Vineyard, the carousel was apparently first located in New York City before being moved to the island in the 1880s.
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.
The Arcade is an historic building at 31 Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. Built in the early 1870s, it is one of the best preserved buildings on Circuit Ave, and is further locally significant as housing the offices of the Oak Bluffs Land and Wharf Company, which was responsible for much of the early development of the town of Oak Bluffs. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The West Chop Club Historic District is a historic district in Tisbury, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The district represents a well-preserved planned summer resort community of the late 19th century. Located in and around Iroquois Avenue, the district encompasses the northernmost portion of West Chop, a peninsula that separates Vineyard Sound and the sheltered waters of Vineyard Haven Harbor, an area that was developed by the West Chop Land Company in the 1880s. The land is now owned by the West Chop Land Trust and managed by the private West Chop Club. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The Dr. Harrison A. Tucker Cottage is a historic summer cottage at 61 Ocean Avenue in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. The cottage took shape in the 1870s as a combination of several smaller structures that were joined by an addition. Doctor Tucker was a resident of Cottage City, as Oak Bluffs was then known, and invited Ulysses S. Grant during his time there. Tucker was also a leading figure in the Oak Bluffs Land and Wharf Company, which spearheaded development of the town outside the Methodist meeting camp known as Wesleyan Grove. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, for its association with Dr. Tucker, and as one of the most elaborate Victorian houses in the town.
The Union Chapel, now known as St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, is a historic church located near Glenwood, Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is a rectangular two-story building of stuccoed stone construction painted pastel yellow completed in 1833 for $1,459. To the rear of the chapel is the attractively landscaped non-sectarian Oak Grove Cemetery. Charles Dorsey Warfield, a member of the prominent Warfield family that settled this region, deeded the property to the residents of the area for non-denominational church and community use. The building was constructed for $5,040 In 1886, it became part of the Methodist church circuit.
The Second Unitarian Church is a historic church and synagogue building at 11 Charles Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. Built in 1916 for a Unitarian congregation, it was acquired by the innovative Reform Jewish Temple Sinai congregation in 1944. It is a high quality example of Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
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.
Bethesda Methodist Chapel is a disused Methodist chapel, in Hanley, Staffordshire, England. One of the largest Nonconformist chapels outside London, the building has been known as the "Cathedral of the Potteries", being "one of the largest and most ornate Methodist town chapels surviving in the UK".
St. Thomas Chapel, also known as St. Thomas Episcopal Church or St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Chapel, is a historic building located at 7854 Church Street in Middletown, Frederick County, Virginia, United States. Built in the 1830s, regular services were held at the Episcopal church for almost 100 years. The building has been restored twice, once after being heavily damaged during the Civil War, and again in the 1960s. The church was added to the Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1973.
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.
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.
