As early as 1838, local church members gathered here each summer for a week-long camp meeting, timed after the crops were tended so farmers could rest, enjoy fellowship, and seek spiritual renewal. Families arrived by wagon, often bringing chickens and cows to sustain them during their stay. In those early days, services were held under the trees in the center of the grounds, with attendees setting up camp in a circle around the revival space. Women slept inside the wagons, while men slept beneath them.

In 1839, blacksmith Jessie Holbrook officially established the campground by donating 40 acres to the Methodist Conference. Local lore says he earned the land for repairing just one horse. At the center of the grounds, an arbor was built from nearby timber, serving as the meeting place for two or three services each day. The original shingle-roofed arbor stood until a storm in 1889 brought it down. By the following summer, a new arbor—constructed from salvaged wood—was ready, and it remains in use today.

Over time, worshippers replaced temporary shelters with rustic wooden “tents” that had straw or sawdust floors. Services were lit by kerosene lamps, and water came from two wells or a spring on site. Though the site has been updated—electric lights and fans now hang from the same wooden beams salvaged after the 1889 storm—the atmosphere still recalls the earliest meetings. Today, the campground holds 75 “tents,” many now made from cinderblock. Some families have attended for generations, passing down not only their faith but also traditions like making homemade ice cream to share with neighbors.

While the buildings have changed, the heart of the gathering has not. The same fellowship and revival that drew worshippers here in 1838 continue to bring families back each summer, making the campground both a place of history and a living tradition.