Every summer between 1889 and 1911, religious figures, their families and religious followers gathered in the beautiful forested area surrounding the United Brethren Association’s tabernacle for a two-week-long camping retreat to discuss evangelical affairs.
This annual convention was born after the United Brethren Association signed a lease on the forested land in 1889 and hired a local carpenter to build a tabernacle for religious gatherings.
Churchgoers would sit on the tabernacle’s wooden benches with their feet planted on a sawdust floor. A cottage, where the minister would reside, was built nearby. Both structures were constructed using wood harvested from clearing some of the beech, oak, maple, hickory and walnut trees on the property.
The congregation used the wooden structure with white-painted siding for religious services, mostly held in the daytime because there was no electricity to keep the space lit. On some occasions, there were musical performances and a children’s program that was held during each retreat.
Campers arrived on horseback or in horse-drawn carriages, buggies and wagons. They rented tents and stayed on the property, attending daily meetings hosted by prominent reverends and religiopolitical figures.
A well on the property offered fresh water, and the only light source was kerosene lamps. One tent was used as a restaurant where visitors could grab sandwiches and ice cream during the week and a chicken dinner on Sundays.
On one occasion Jacob Coxey and the Coxey Army made a stop at the camp to make a speech on their way to Washington, D.C. where they would protest
The grounds were also used by The Salvation Army during their two-week-long convention which included music as well as United Brethren services and sessions.
More than 100 years later, the tabernacle can still be found on the property. The land is now owned by partners David Hauge and Tammy Miller and it is one of the very few original tabernacles in Ohio still standing on its original campground.
In 2021, the couple successfully designated 230 acres of the land surrounding the tabernacle as a nature preserve, Coyote Run. The preserve’s biodiversity is immense with both forest and wetland features. While the privately-owned land has restricted access, Fairfield County Parks holds events open to the public so that everyone can appreciate what it has to offer.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.