Wesleyan Grove facts for kids
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Wesleyan Grove
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Two ornate cottages on the campground site.
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| Location | 80 Trinity Park, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 |
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| NRHP reference No. | 05000458 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 5, 2005 |
| Designated NHLD | April 5, 2005 |
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Martha's Vineyard Campground
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Cottage Park, Quequechan, Clinton, Dukes, County, Siloam, Lake, and Central Aves., Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1835 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000439 |
| Added to NRHP | December 14, 1978 |
Wesleyan Grove is a special historic area in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. It is located on the island of Martha's Vineyard. This area is about 34 acres big.
It is also known as the Martha's Vineyard Campmeeting Association (MVCMA). People sometimes call it "the Campgrounds." It was the very first summer religious camp started in the United States. Today, it is famous for its nearly 300 colorful small houses. These houses are built in a unique style called Carpenter Gothic.
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History of Wesleyan Grove
After the American Civil War, this area became a big summer camp. It was for people who followed the Methodist religion. They held open-air Christian revival meetings here. This type of meeting became very popular across the United States. Many other similar camps started, like those in Ocean Park, Maine, and Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
People built colorful, fancy "gingerbread cottages" in an oak grove. These homes were built around a main church building called a tabernacle.
Wesleyan Grove was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This means it is a place important to American history. In 2005, the U.S. government named it a National Historic Landmark.
How the Camp Started
The first camp meeting at Wesleyan Grove happened in 1835. Over the years, more and more people came. They started arriving early and staying after the main events.
In 1835, nine tents were used for the first campers. As more people joined, families brought their own tents. By 1851, there were 100 tents. In 1858, this number grew to 320 tents. These tents were set up around the area where sermons were given. One Sunday in 1858, about 20,000 people came to listen to a sermon.
Later, the groups attending grew even larger. Many thousands of people stayed in big tents called "society tents." These tents were for people from the same church on the mainland. Conditions were crowded inside. Men and women slept in separate areas, divided by a canvas. Society tents were arranged in a half-circle on Trinity Park.
Over time, families began to rent small plots of land. They would set up their own individual tents there. Between 1855 and 1865, the camp meetings started to change. They were still religious, but people also enjoyed the fresh sea air. They liked the social time, which helped them relax their minds and bodies.
What Are Gingerbread Cottages?
In the 1860s and 1870s, the family tents were quickly replaced. People started building permanent wooden cottages. In 1864, there were 40 cottages. By 1880, there were 500. As of 2019, about 318 of these cottages still exist. They are known as the gingerbread cottages.
These first cottages were small, about 11 to 16 feet wide. They had wide double doors and tall roofs. The roofs were very steep. They were one and a half stories tall. They were usually twice as tall as they were wide. The wooden platforms where tents once stood became the wide front porches of the cottages.
Today, the Campground is a community of people who live there in the summer. Some people live there all year. They own these cottages, which are often updated inside. Some residents are descendants of the first people who came to the revival meetings. Wesleyan Grove is no longer a revivalist camp. However, Sunday services are still held in the summer. Since the 1930s, the Grove has welcomed people from all religions.
A special event called the Grand Illumination happens on a Wednesday evening in summer. People light up paper or silk lanterns. This tradition has been going on for 150 years. (The event in 2020 was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.)
A report from National Geographic in 2019 described the Illumination. It said that residents and guests gather at the Oak Bluffs Tabernacle. They have a sing-along as the sun sets. Then, one lantern is lit in a special ceremony. After that, residents light their own lanterns. Soon, the whole village glows with colorful paper and silk lights.
Religious Traditions and Community
Many important religious leaders from across the country have preached at Wesleyan Grove. This tradition continues today. However, services are no longer held day and night as they were in the early years.
Over time, the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association has become more open to different religions. The people on its Board of Directors now come from many different religious groups. The religious services and special programs all have a strong spirit of unity. The MVCMA was started by Methodists. For a long time, only Methodists ran it. But it has always been its own group. It was never officially part of the United Methodist Church.
The Tabernacle Building
The open-air Tabernacle is made of cast iron. It can seat over 2,000 people. It is the main physical and spiritual center of the Campground. John W. Hoyt built it in 1879.
Church services are held weekly in the Tabernacle during July and August. Many cultural events also take place there each summer. The first event of the season is the graduation ceremony for Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. The Tabernacle has a unique design. It has iron arches and supports. It also has two upper sections with many colored glass windows. A round tower sits on top.
From 1835 until 1859, ministers preached from a simple stand. In 1859, Perez Mason built a larger, nicer stand. It was big enough for 30 people. It had screens for support and movable back shutters for air. The roof was angled to make the speaker's voice louder. Seating for up to 4,000 people was built during that time.
In 1869, a huge tent was put over Wesleyan Grove. This protected the people from heat and rain. The tent was used every season until the current iron Tabernacle was built in 1879. Since 1999, a big fundraising effort has been underway. The money is used to restore the Tabernacle.
Most of the work was finished by 2019. This included making the columns stable and repainting them. New lights that looked like old ones were added. The top tower was fixed, and the cross was replaced. The upper windows were rebuilt. Future plans include fixing the seating and stage. They also plan to add new sound and video equipment and replace the roof.
Images for kids
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One of the cottages prepared for the Grand Illumination, a Wednesday evening tradition in summer
