The camp that built a town
When God led a few men to create a camp, their intent was to build faith and strengthen community. Little did they know that their obedience would actually build an entire town. A group of clergymen at the 1870 Philadelphia Preacher's Meeting were burdened to purchase land outside of the city to benefit the city's churches and Sunday schools. They purchased Joshua and James Williamson's 148 acre farm, which could easily be reached by rail, and began clearing out groves and cultivating the land. Chester Heights Camp Meeting was officially chartered in 1872. In that inaugural summer alone, 17,915 people participated in excursions to the camp.
Our Story
Though participants stayed in tents at first, plans to build cottages were quickly developed. By 1891, visitors stayed exclusively in cottages which had been built throughout the grounds, many of which are still here today. Chester Heights Camp Meeting is now listed in the "National Register for Historic Places" and is an official project of "Save America's Treasures". We are grateful for how our camp was used in the past, and we are expectant for God to use us going forward to deeply impact the spiritual well being of people in Delaware County and the Greater Philadelphia Area.
Over 40 excursions were held that first year including the first ever "Camp Meeting" which lasted 10 days and drew varying daily attendances of 500 to 5,000 people. Notably, John Wanamaker hosted 742 children from his Sunday school classes for a single day in August of that year. Businesses sprang up outside of the camp’s grounds to service the influx of visitors to the area. Soon, a post office was built near the camp's entrance, followed by a sawmill and general store. Additionally, the Baltimore Central Railroad Company built a new train station to accommodate the crowds. Chester Heights Camp Meeting fast tracked the development of the town that many call home today.
