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Chester Heights Camp Meeting, A personal recollection
(610) 459-5398
GEORGE D. ORMSBY
7124 Drayton Road
Aston, PA 19014
As I remember the Chester Heights camp meeting, plus what I remember my mother
telling me about it; it was a Methodist camp meeting. The Methodists run revival
and evangelical services there for all ages. I don't know the date it was
organized but my mother who was born in 1879 attended youth meetings there in
her early teens which means it operated in the 1890's.
The camp meetings lasted for two full weeks, covering three weekends. The
Methodist churches in the surrounding area closed for those three Sundays and
all their congregation was supposed to go to camp meeting. Most people walked.
When my mother first attended, she walked from Knowlton and later from their
farm which is now "Pennel Manor". People came from as far away as Philadelphia
for the weekend.
There was a long railroad siding that would hold a large number of railroad
coaches. On Saturdays and Sundays the railroad would run a special train with as
many as a dozen coaches leaving Philadelphia early in the morning, picking up
passengers at the stations along the way, arriving on the siding adjoining the
camp grounds in time for the morning service, and returning in the evening after
the evening service. Sometimes there were more coaches than the siding would
hold. Then the engine and extra coaches would go to Wawa where there was a yard
with a number of tracks where the coaches would set until time for the return
trip.
People who could afford it had the cottages built, many of which still stand,
and would spend the two weeks there for a vacation. It was never intended to be
a place of permanent residence, but was designed to be a place to retreat for
spiritual renewal, revival and teaching the children and young people the
Methodist doctrine and way of life. It was also an opportunity for the people in
the city to get out into the country.
Much of the above continued up into the 1930's. I know, because I attended youth
meetings there in my teens.
Biography - George Ormsby, a native of Aston, PA was the owner of a Plumbing
and Heating business, and served for many years as the plumbing inspector for
Chester Heights Borough. He was born, and still lives in Aston, and is a
recognized authority of local history.
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