Meeting Grounds - Poem by Raymond A. Foss

Reverend Brown told me some of the stories
the history of these hallowed grounds
Where generations pitched their tents
around the steel and glass tabernacle
at the camp meeting grounds

Small cottages followed, on the same plots
drawn year after year
to hear our faith, the transformation
the power of grace to save
saints and sinners alike

2/25/06 19:00
Camp Meeting Grounds, Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard

Note added - 6/15/06 -
"Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Area - MVCMA, well known for the 315 Gingerbread cottages and the historic Tabernacle that comprise the campground, grew out of the religious camp meeting movement of the 19th century. The first camp meeting in Oak Bluffs was held in 1835. The camp meeting movement and the camp meetings on Martha’s Vineyard grew substantially through the years, with many thousands in attendance for the religious services.

The MVCMA has held religious services and a wide variety of special programs on a continuous basis every summer since 1835. The unique character of the Campground, a heritage from a different era, has been preserved and treasured by generations of tent-dwellers and cottage owners for over 170 years. On April 5, 2005, The MVCMA was officially designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior."