Dog River Crier, #23, 1982, Julia McIntire, editor

Luther Johnson's "The Old Northfield That I Knew"

"There were two main events during each summer of my early years. One was the Methodist camp meeting held during the warm August on the Association's camp grounds, located within a large, lovely grove of pine trees, situated a little back of the present Roman Catholic cemetery, half way between Northfield and the falls. Over the years it had been developed and improved. The grounds were fully enclosed by high board fencing. In the center were built-in seats for the attendants to occupy, facing the roofed speaking platform. All around the seating section was a wide walk, between which and the encircling high fence were rows of group building, some named for nearby town, which served as meal and sleeping accommodations. A good many of the occupants brought supplies and stayed in these houses or tents nearby for the entire week of the session. Although the Methodists controlled the program of services, other welfare agencies were admitted. I recall that Neal Dow of Maine, an early promoter of anti-alcohol agitation, once visited and spoke at a 'dry' gathering. Children sometimes took part in special programs. I recall 'speaking a piece' at one of these, which pleased my father so well that he handed me a dime, with which I ran to the store just outside the gate and spent it for candy. The religious services were always on the high tempo of that period of Methodism. Converts and selfconfessions abounded, but a considerable of them did not last long, it was noted. The Railroad used to stop some of its trains at an open resting place across the river from the campground to accommodate passengers and 'Lew Avery's Fleeting,' drawn by a team of four horses conveyed people to and from Northfield Village. My invalid mother greatly enjoyed camp meeting and the opportunity to visit with friends. As late as when I was in the News publication office I remember seeing the Methodist minister, the Rev. Joe Hamilton, and his family, loaded into a team of some sort, with their supplies, and family cow on a leash by rope at the rear. The cow, pastured bear the grounds, would come in handy during the week's outing, and perhaps earn something from a sale of fresh milk to other campers.

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From Picture Northfield, "Haroll Howe of Northfield was among those who drove a tally ho and Lew Avery furnished transportation to and from Depot Village for ten cents each way…The crowd, 'the vibrant voice of the preacher, the cry of the sinner and the shout of the saint' furnished plenty of excitement. People poured in with as much eagerness as they might today head for a hockey or football game. Mrs. S.T. Parker of Gouldsville reported on the number of teams passing her house on the way to the campgrounds between 7:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. one Sunday: 203 single teams and 20 double teams, making 243 horses, 572 persons in carriages and 14 foot passengers.

"The morning bell rang at fivethirty and the day's program began at eight. Charles Plumley described the Love Feasts, one of the first events of the day.

"When I was a little fellow my folks sometimes attended the Love Feast, as it was called, which was held just before the morning service. The feast was observed by passing around bread and water in a wooden bowl or bucket, passed by hand, out of which they drank one after another. Those Methodists knew a lot about salvation and cared little for sanitation.

"Boynton and Moseley, owners of a meat shop on the common, had charge of a restaurant at the camp meeting grounds for eight years, serving breakfast to 30c, dinner for 40c, supper for 35c, or one dollar a day. Frank S. Kimball, Northfield's cattle drover, ran a boarding house for a time with a dining room and kitchen and put up customers in narrow rooms on the second floor at 25c and day (and, we presume, still made money). Living in the open, it was said, gave people huge appetites. Baked beans and boiled corn, hominy and how cakes were staples, with baked potatoes, and mush with milk close seconds. W. Storrs lee said there were always a few dedicated women ready to devote a day or a week to slaving in the cook sheds, that 'the food was as free as the preaching and the supply apparently was almost as inexhaustible.'

"On August 26, 1880, the great Prohibitionist Neal Dow, of Portland, Maine, spoke at Northfield to 3000 people. but 'the provoking noise mad a neighboring flock of turkies added to the murmur or voices from different parts of the audience…made it difficult to hear.' Young boys on occasion threw stones and gravel, caught at wagon wheels, jumped at people from bushes, etc, Local farmers sworn in as deputies tried to keep order, but there was inevitably trouble with rowdies and such crowds worked up to high emotional pitches. Yet many who were converted stayed converted, and the sober, the thoughtful people, logical people, substantial people of some means came into the churches through the gates of conversion opened to them at the early camp meetings.

By the end of the century the camp meetings had run out of steam, as other forms of entertainment began to replace the old community gatherings. In January, 1900, the camps ground were sold at auction to Frank P. Houston for $480. The cottages were torn down and reassembled beyond the wooden bridge on the Houston Flat.

*See a follow up article on the Houston farm and family. We will next unfold the story of the Bean property.