A photograph taken around 1983, of the entrance to the Herndon Camp Meeting, Herndon, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
The following history of the Herndon Camp Meeting is adapted from a newspaper advertising supplement published in 1983:
The story of what is known today as the Herndon Camp Meeting began in 1874. At that time the first meeting was held under the direction of the Evangelical Association on land owned by Abraham Deppen. Presiding Elder C. K. Fehr was in charge of the gathering, which was about three miles northeast of the present site of the meeting. Seventy-five white tents were erected with John Brower Sr. in charge of the boarding tent. The following year the meeting was held at the same location.
In 1876 and 1877 the site of the gathering was changed to George Snyder‘s grove, located at the present site of the Herndon Cemetery.
The Camp Meeting moved for a third time in 1878 to a grove owned by Nathan Brower, just west of the present site of the meetings. This hill was to be the home of the meeting until 1897.
The next three meeting were held in a grove owned by Daniel Reitz near Hunter Station. The camp moved for a fifth and final time in 1901 to the present location, then owned by Isaac Wolfe.
On August 14, 1901, a number of individuals gathered in the tent auditorium on the Isaac Wolfe property. The purpose of the special meeting was to form a stock company with shares being sold at $10 each and to use the proceeds to purchase the property. It was unanimously decided to proceed with the plan and 84 shares were sold. Seventy of these shared were represented at this meeting.
Isaac Wolfe sold the property to the Camp Meeting Association but retained ownership of his farm adjoining the property. This farm was alter purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Burg and Kathryn Rogers of Shamokin. They presented the property to the Evangelical Congregational Church for use as a home for the aged.
The Burd and Rogers Memorial Home was in operation until 1961 when it was permanently closed. All guests were transferred to the home in Myerstown and in 1969 the Burd and Memorial Home was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Marty Feis of Washington, D. C., to be used as a private residence.
Soon after the grove was purchased, improvements were made. Stone and brush were cleared away and young trees were planted. T. F. Bowman and Daniel Yocum of Herndon were appointed as the facilities’ caretakers.
In 1902 a tabernacle with a seating capacity of 45 was constructed to replace the old tent tabernacle. A boarding house and dining hall with a seating capacity of 350 was also built. Both structures were extensively damaged by an accumulation of heavy snow in 1920 and were reconstructed at a cost of about $5,000. Additions were made to this 1920 auditorium and today it seats 550 people.
The first means of lighting for the grove was through the use of gas lights. These lights were hung on trees and were lit by a lamplighter. By 1910 a new gas light system was used. This system required priming from time to time by means of hand pumped air being put into the system. Ten years later electricity was installed at the grove.
At this time there were 31 cottages on the property with plans for more on the drawing boards. Most of the cottage owners were from Shamokin, Herndon, and Sunbury, but one cottage was owned by Mrs. A. J. McKinney of Spokane, Washington.
Through the years additions were made. Most of the cottages have indoor plumbing including bathrooms. Facilities on the grove also include tennis courts and basketball courts.
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Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.