Art
Camp meetings were outdoor religious revivals where families camped for days or weeks, singing, praying, and renewing their faith together. For rural and working Americans from the 1700s through the 1900s, these events were spiritual renewal, social gathering, and summer vacation rolled into one.
Art · Full story
The sun drops low over the New Jersey pinelands. Hundreds of canvas tents dot the grounds, their lanterns glowing. Voices rise in hymns from the central pavilion—some voices breaking, some soaring. Children run between tent rows. The smell of campfire smoke mixes with food cooking in cast-iron pots. Tomorrow, the preacher returns at dawn.
Reflect
What seasonal gathering brings your own family together each year, and what do you hope it gives you?