Wesleyan Grove

Wesleyan Grove
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Two ornate cottages on the campground site.
Location	Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
Governing body	Private
NRHP Reference #	05000458
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 5, 2005[1]
Designated NHLD	April 5, 2005[2]

Martha's Vineyard Campground
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	Roughly bounded by Cottage Park, Quequechan, Clinton, Dukes, County, Siloam, Lake, and Central Aves., Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°27′19″N 70°33′41″W / 41.45528°N 70.56139°W / 41.45528; -70.56139Coordinates: 41°27′19″N 70°33′41″W / 41.45528°N 70.56139°W / 41.45528; -70.56139
Built	1835
Architect	Multiple
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival, Gothic, Gothic Revival
Governing body	Private
NRHP Reference #	78000439
Added to NRHP	December 14, 1978[1]

Wesleyan Grove is a 34-acre (140,000 m²) National Historic Landmark District in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts on the island of Martha's Vineyard. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It is also known as the Martha's Vineyard Campmeeting Association (MVCMA) or the Campgrounds (see here), which was first listed on the National Register in 1978.

History

Just after the American Civil War, the area developed as a large Methodist summer campground with open air Christian revivals. This meeting style became popular around the United States at the time, and many other similar camps were founded using similar models, such as Ocean Park, Maine and Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Colorful, ornate, gingerbread cottages were built in an oak grove around a central church tabernacle. The grove was added to the National Register of Historic Places and was further declared a National Historic Landmark in 2005.^[2][1]

The first campmeeting in what became known as Wesleyan Grove was held in 1835. In subsequent years the congregations grew enormously, and many of the thousands in attendance were housed in large tents known as "society tents." A congregation from a church on the mainland would maintain its own society tent. Conditions were cramped, with men and women sleeping dormitory-style on opposite sides of a central canvas divider. Society tents were arranged in a semicircle on Trinity Park. Over time, families began leasing small lots on which to pitch their own individual tents. In the 1860s and 1870s, the family tents were rapidly replaced with permanent wooden cottages. At one time there were about 500 cottages; today there are just over 300. Many eminent members of the clergy from across the country have preached at the campmeetings in Wesleyan Grove. That tradition continues today, although services are no longer held day and night as they were in the early years. Over time the MVCMA has become increasingly interdenominational, and the current members of the Board of Directors are affiliated with a wide variety of Christian groups. The religious services and special programs of the Association all have a strong ecumenical spirit. Today the Campground is a community of summer residents and a smaller number of year-round residents who value the intimacy created by the crowding of cottages on small tent lots. Many of the cottages have been owned by the same families for generations. The residents of the Campground have a keen appreciation for the special traditions of which they are a part.

The Tabernacle is the physical and spiritual center of the Campground. It was built in 1879 by John W. Hoyt of Springfield, Massachusetts. Church services are held weekly in the Tabernacle during the months of July and August, and a variety of cultural events are held there each summer. The first event of the season is the graduation ceremonies of the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. Architecturally, the Tabernacle is a unique structure, with wrought iron arches and supports, two clerestories with dozens of colored glass windows, and an octagonal cupola. In 1979, on the Centennial of the Tabernacle, the MVCMA was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000, the Tabernacle was designated as an official project of "Save America's Treasures." From the first campmeeting in 1835 until 1859, ministers preached from a crudely constructed stand. In 1859, Perez Mason built a larger and more esthetically pleasing preachers' stand. It was large enough to seat 30, and it included lattice screen supports, movable rear shutters for ventilation, and a roof that was angled to amplify the voice of the speaker. Seating for congregations of up to 4,000 was constructed during that period. In 1869, a huge tent was raised over Wesleyan Grove to protect the congregation from the heat and the rain. The tent was used each season until the erection of the current iron Tabernacle in 1879. In 1999 a major fundraising campaign was undertaken to restore the Tabernacle to its full grandeur, to upgrade utilities, including sound and lighting systems, and to preserve the structural integrity of the building.^[1]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dukes County, Massachusetts

References

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Topics Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types Lists by county Barnstable Berkshire Bristol Dukes Essex Franklin Hampden Hampshire Middlesex Nantucket Norfolk Plymouth Suffolk Worcester Lists by city Bristol County Fall River New Bedford Taunton Essex County Andover Gloucester Ipswich Lawrence Lynn Methuen Salem Hampden County Springfield Middlesex County Arlington Cambridge Concord Framingham Lowell Marlborough Medford Newton Reading Sherborn Somerville Stoneham Wakefield Waltham Weston Winchester Norfolk County Brookline Milton Quincy Suffolk County Boston (northern, southern) Worcester County Southbridge Uxbridge Worcester (eastern, northwestern, southwestern) Other lists Bridges Cape Cod National Seashore National Historic Landmarks (Boston) Category NRHP Portal Massachusetts Portal