Douglas Campground

When I was a little girl my family and I often went for long walks, which of course got me into hiking and cemetery exploring later in life. One place we frequently walked to was the Douglas Camp, an old campground less than a quarter mile down the street from my house. In fact, some of the land now part of the campground was given by my grandmother Grace Dudley. Less than a week after my return from Dordt I went for a walk there once again.
When I returned, I found it much in the same slightly run down shape as it had been during my childhood. But there were differences... there was fresh paint, and the bulletin board which once displayed an old map of the camp now displayed a task list with things such as "paint secretary's office, clean roofs, clear brush, hang curtains..." and so on. And I ran into an old couple named Phil and Debby. This couple lived on the top of the hill in the campground and was working to fix it up a bit for this years camp meeting. I introduced myself and asked how I could help. Thus I got involved in volunteering time there, improving the place I enjoyed for much during my childhood.
Here is a bit of a background of the Douglas Camp meeting. According to Lucius Marsh in his untitled history of the town of Douglas. He states, "the Douglas Camp Meeting Association for the purpose of spreading evangelization, was founded by the late George Morse, a Putnam, Ct., manufacturer, in 1874". And later, "The meetings used to be widely attended, but changing population has cut down the number who come".
It is true, to this day the camp meeting, a revival in fact, is held once a year for ten days during the summer. Not many people come, very few as compared to those who came by the train car load in the late 1800's. But, with some work, I think there is hope for great things to happen at the camp once again. Above all, I pray that some will come to accept Christ through the mission that the Douglas Camp Meeting provides.