Chester Heights Campmeeting Association

Chester Heights Camp Meeting - Seventy-Five Years at a Glance

by JOHN PEDLOW — President 1917-1945

By action of the Philadelphia Annual Conference of 1872, "The Phila­delphia Camp Meeting and Excursion Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church'. (now popularly known as "The Chester Heights Camp Meeting Association.) was incorporated. The Rev. J. B. McCullough was made chairman in charge and named by Bishop Ames as Pastor with a salary of one thousand dollars, one half of which was to be paid by the Railroad Company.

 One hundred and forty-eight acres of woodland was purchased at a cost of $26,000. This, together with the erection of a preaching platform, dormitories, excursion pavilion, restaurant and store, reservoir and water supply for the grounds (not cottages) the preparation of the grounds and the erection of a seven foot board fence about the grounds, made the total cost $57,084.82. The sale of 908 shares of the Corporation for $22,000 greatly assisted in meeting these building costs. Today, there is no indebt­edness upon the Association and as of the close of last fiscal year, the Association had a balance of $2,417.70 with $1,110 in U. S. Bonds.

During the twelve days of the First Camp Meeting season, 3549 per­sons came via railroad from Philadelphia and 483 persons came from Chester while 155 persons  came from Wilmington. Many thousands of persons came in their own conveyances, paying twenty-five cents for a single team and fifty cents for a double team. This fee entitled each horse to a peck of oats. 

During the first year the records show that forty-four Sunday Schools and Church organizations were represented on the Camp Grouds by 17,915 paid visitors. The largest excursion group was that of the Bethany Presbyterian Sunday School, John Wanamaker, Superintendent, with 786 children and 727 adults. The daily attendance ranged from 500 to 5,000. Two hundred tents were used the first year. The first excursion to the camp was on June 4, 1872, given by The Ladies Aid Society for the benefit of the "Old Folks Home." 410 adults and 70 children attended.

Camp Meeting was a popular form of worship, originating in Kentucky some one hundred and fifty years ago under the leadership of two ministers named McGee, one a Methodist and the other a Presby­terian. The success of the Chester Heights Camp may be more fully appreciated by noting a brief statement recorded in the "West Chester Local News" of July 29, 1883 "The crowd of worshippers at Chester Heights on Sunday was the largest that has been there for years. The attendance was estimated at 10,000. The beautiful day had the effect of bringing the country people out in large numbers and by ten o'clock all roads heading toward Chester Heights were crowded. The early morning train from Philadelphia brought fifteen car loads, with not even standing room. The popularity of Camp Meeting has continued in many areas.

Other than Methodists have used Chester Heights Grounds. The Salvation Army held a Camp Meeting here in 1897 and in recent years Brethren in Christ have annually held meetings for several days each year, including Labor Day.