The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-09-03
Notes From Martha's Vineyard ii.

MARTHA's VINEYARD, Aug. 25th 1878.
To the Editor Of the Press
Policeman No. 12 boasts freely of the pres
ent great prosperity of the camp-meeting en-
terprse. "Thirty- eight years ago." he said,
''there were only nine tents on these grounds;
and now," waving his arms expansively,
"there is city, Curious to note how di-
versey two persons may regard the same facts
Another said to me, motioning toward the
profane side of the picket fence, '.They came
with their brass bands and their horse races,
and here is aohat there is left gift" This
gentleman is interested in new pleasure re-
sort nile away called the Highlands.
1t is easy, however, to see that some anxi-
ETY. is felt in regard to the future condition of
the camp prosperity. In all parts of the wide
forest cottages are built or tents erected; but
this year an ominous sign appears. The
words "For Sale," or 'To Let" are more
frequently displayed than is consistent with
prosperity. Wooden frames designed to sup
port canvass covering over boarded floor,
and which doubtless were formerly thus cover
ed, now stand unused, abandoned, skeleton
relics of dead enthusiasm, and the lots on
which they stand are virtually vacant lots.
1 have tried to find why ''this is thus One
account is that former dwellers or
these grounds are driven away by the
advancing paganism of the adjacent
territory, and are building houses on
the Highlands. Another is that people
are aured to the more open, cool and peas
ant grounds, where bands play and horses
trot Another is that visitors have become
weary Of summering year after year at one
er is that many Of these cottages were built
by capitalists who had speculation in their
eyes, and so many new enterprises have been
started, each implying number of ready
made cottages for sale or to let that the article
has become a drug in the market. Whatever
may be the reason there is a visible deprecia-
tion of prosperity, and expect that on my
next visit shall find still greater number
of cottages for sale or 70 be let.
Let me give you an idea of the vigorous
competition now waged in this cottage bus-
ness. have already alluded to four different
localities which urge their rival claims on the
very small class of people who want to buy
lots and build cottages Vineyard Grove,
Oak Bluffs, Highlands, and Ketama. The
following places also present their attractions
in the Seaside Gazette" a newspaper about
az large as our Portland Advertiser, and is
sued here semi-weekly; "Cedar Bluffs" La
COON Hei yhts,'' Cedar Neck" ''Forest Hill,"
''Oklahoma," ''West Point Grove" Engle-
wood.' "Ocean Heights and Bellevue
Heights" where the Portland and New York
steamers touch. The brilliant advertisements
ofthese gardens of Eden make good reading for
an idle hour, and there is some demand for the
property thus offered for sale. For example,
take Bellevue Heights-a poor man lived in
that vicinity whose poverty might be fairly
measured by the extent of his possessions.
He owned large property of that kind which
is said to impoverish its owner, barren and
worse than valueless land, just promising
enough to incite its impecunious possessor to
hard work, and TOO sterile to yield harvest.
This man sold piece of his land to the Vine
yard Grove Company; afterwards he divided
another piece into cottage lots and sold slI,-
600 worth. Then he bought quantity OF
land for fourteen or fifteen thousand doiiars'