The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-09-06
CamPmeeting Long Ago.


er attended was at Northport. There
was then on the grounds only one build
ing of timber and boards, and this was
open on the side facing the rows of
plank seats on which the worshippers
were seated when listening to the ser
mons which were delivered from this
building which the unregenerate desig-
mated as the gospel she'd"
The preaching was fervidly earnest and
the amens were frequent and emphatic.
Not far away, scattered among the trees
were some 30 or 40 tents, each of which
was filled with members of some partic-
ular parish. There were the Belfast
Tent, " the Bangor Tent" the Bucks
port Tent" and so on along the stray
Cling, shaded street of cotton habitations.
But few of the tents had stoves, and the
occupants brought large part of their
cooked food from home. More food was
brought by late arrivals, green corn, po-
tatoes and other vegetables were bought
Of nearby farmers. Many of the camp
ers built fires in the open, made tea,
cooked vegetables and steamed clans in
the primitive way to which people were
then accustomed. At night, tallow can
dies were used for lighting the tents, al
though what were then called fluid lamps
were occasionally seen. When darkness
settled down the grove was lighted by
wood fires built on platforms about feet
from the ground, on the top of four posts
The platforms were about feet square,
of green wood, covered first by flat rocks
which in turn were covered with about
inches of earth. Quite large fires were
built on these platforms and replenished
by frequent additions of dry wood. To
the south of the campground was only a
forest with perhaps here and there bit
of pasture. All the travel by teams was
up and down the hill which leads up to
the vicinity of the Country Club house.
This road was then in excellent condi-
ton, but when one turned into the woods
to drive down to the campground Won
derful aggregation of boulders were en-
countered. There was no wharf, but l
have seen 1000 people land at campmeet-
ing time from barge which came from
Bangor and up-river towns. The barge
was in tow of a tug and was laid broad
side to the shore. The passengers came
down the gang plank and walked to land
on three pontoon scows fastened end to
end and extending from the shore to the
barge.
Thursday of campmeeting week was
great annual holiday to almost the whole
of Waldo county Every buggy was
washed and every carriage horse had a
brush down and an extra feed of oats,
and in the early forenoon went racing
down Northport avenue in a cloud of
dust if the weather was fair. Many
farmers drove their spans hitched to farm
wagons loaded with the whole family and
several of the neighbors, while under the
seats were boxes of food and Jugs of cold
coffee. Stage coaches, drawn by four
and sometimes by six horses, made hour
ly trips from the city, carrying passen-
gers inside, on top, on the baggage rack
and on the dash board. Going to camp
meeting on one of these coaches, his feet
hanging down the side, was to many a
country youth exquisite bliss. l would
like once more to ride to Northport camp
ground on the top of a crowded six-horse
coach. Better still would like to sit
with my feet on the dash board, beside
Jerry Sullivan, that wizard of the reins,
that knight of the whip, and once more
ride down "campmeeting hill" When
two-thirds down the hill l would like
again to see six reins grasped in strong
left hand, to hear the quick release of
the brake, to see the long lash culver
above the backs of the leaders and to
hear the crisp "hi-hi" as the coach goes
lurching through the hollow and the
horses gallop up the incline just beyond,
taking us into the twilight on our home
ward way. But the old days and the old
joys are gone, the fires on the platforms
long ago were extinguished, electric
lights glow in scores of neat summer
ZONES and swing from trees in adjacent
groves. A. l. BROWN.