Flat Rock Campground
Heard County | Organized in 1876
After the American Revolution, a Protestant religious movement known as the Second Great Awakening—or the Great Revival—swept across the young nation, taking especially deep root in the South. It fueled rapid growth among Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian congregations across Georgia, with Methodists leading the way. One of the most enduring legacies of this revival was the rise of camp meetings. These gatherings became central to religious and social life, and many of the original campgrounds still thrive today. Among them is Flat Rock Campground, established in 1879 and still active more than 140 years later.
Read more...Minutes of the North Georgia Methodist Conference from 1879 record: “Four campgrounds were erected: One at Flat Rock, built this year, a large well-built, comfortably seated arbor with five tents furnished and fifteen projected.” For two years before the arbor was built, meetings were held under a brush arbor. According to tradition, A.B. Lashley erected the first arbor in 1878. Families arrived by mule wagons, buggies, and oxcarts, often bringing milk cows along. Early lighting was provided by kerosene lamps, and water came from a spring that sometimes ran dry. Once electricity was available, a deep well was drilled and a pump installed. A hotel offered lodging, and before refrigeration, blocks of ice were kept in a dug pit covered with sawdust to preserve food.
Campgrounds like Flat Rock soon developed a distinctive design: a large open tabernacle or arbor at the center, surrounded by permanent “tents” owned by families and handed down through generations. Today, most are overseen by boards of trustees who own the land, while families continue to maintain their tents. The setting of each campground was carefully chosen for shade, water, and topography. Flat Rock earned its name from the vast granite outcropping—stretching across more than 100 acres—nearby.
Flat Rock Campground remains a remarkable testament to the power of the Great Revival, a place where faith and tradition continue to be renewed generation after generation.
More Content
Get Directions
11 responses to “Flat Rock Campground”
-
Hello there, I would like to provide you with a recommendation of a church to possibly look at. The name of the church is Friendship Primitive Baptist Church. It is located on Friendship Church Road in Douglasville. I looked through your site and do not see this particular one on there. Neat, quaint little church. Sign on front says it was founded in 1851.
-
Hello Gary- If you can, please submit the church here so we can add it to the list if it qualifies: http://www.hrcga.org/suggest-a-church/. Thanks so much for your comment!
-
-
How can I find out about the camp meetings every August?
-
We aren’t associated with the campground Kathren, so we can’t help with that information. Best of luck!
-
-
My grandmother grew up going to Flat Rock campground in Heard County.
Mary m bowen
Decatur -
As a child , I remember going to the camp meeting with the campers living in tents and even sheds on the sides of barns . the outside walls were made of sheets hanging around to protect the belongings form the animals surrounding the area. People even brought the milk cows and pets, Children running around like they were in a protected large playground. The overseer ‘s house was on the top of a small rise so that he could see all around the property keeping things in order. There was never any disagreements because they camping on Holy Ground. They visited and cooked the family meals on a campfire outside with maybe several families participating in the sharing of the food and preparation and cleanup. They all had good times and came away with many good memories and many people filled with the Holy Spirit. It was a way of life for families to return each year.
-
Living history. Thanks for sharing.
-
-
Spent a week there sleeping in rustic cabins. It was a spiritual place. After evening service those who wanted to would walk down to the big flat rock, build a fire and sit around while someone told us ghost stories. It seemed a long walk back in the dark to our cabin! Great fun! Glad this wonderful place is being recognized.
-
Thanks for this article. I grew up going to a family reunion in a similar Methodist camp meeting ground in Dooly County. Do you have a list of all similar places in Georgia? I knew they were around but I grew up Baptist and didn’t really know about other locations.
I also enjoyed learning more about the Lutherans in sumpter county. I learned in recent years about distant cousins who were Lutheran in Macon County and I’m still working in them, but I didn’t know there were more Lutherans in nearby counties. Thanks for connecting more dots!-
There is a history of Dooly County Ground. Check the Vienna United Methodist Churc orthe Distrist Superintendent of the Americus District.
Wonderful place, wonderful memories !!!
-
-
Sonny, I am so happy you included Flat Rock. My grandmother was born in Heard County in 1872 and grew up going there. It is very similar to Salem campground near Conyers. I can’t wait for the next book!
Leave a Reply