Camp Bethel is a historic
Christian camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in England and Scotland as an evangelical event in association with the communion season. It was held for worship, preaching and communion on the American frontier ...
facility at 124 Camp Bethel Road, overlooking the
Connecticut River in
Haddam, Connecticut
Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,452 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was also home to the now-decommissioned Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant.
History
Haddam, in Middlesex County, is locate ...
. Founded in 1877, Camp Bethel is one of the few surviving camp meeting sites left in New England.
It is owned by the Camp Bethel Association (CBA), a non-denominational, evangelical organization and is open to rent. The camp was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2007.
Description and history
Camp Bethel is located in southeastern Haddam, just north of the
East Haddam Bridge over the Connecticut River. It is accessed via Camp Bethel Road, which runs north from
Connecticut Route 82
Route 82 is an east–west state highway in Connecticut running for from Route 9 in Chester to Route 2 and 32 in Norwich.
Route description
Route 82 begins at a trumpet intersection with Route 9 at exit 7 in Chester and heads northea ...
. It is located on a bluff overlooking the
Connecticut River, surrounded by woods. The main facilities of the camp include a chapel, memorial hall, boarding houses, and a dining hall, as well as more than 40 cabins. Most of these facilities were built between 1889 and about 1920; the dining hall is the notable exception, built in 1992 after the old dining hall burned down.
[
The camp was established in 1877 by the Life and Advent Union, a division of Seventh Day Adventism which split in 1863 (at an Adventist revival camp in ]Wilbraham, Massachusetts
Wilbraham is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb of the City of Springfield, and part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,613 at the 2020 census.
Part of the town comprises ...
). Functioning mainly at other Adventist camps throughout New England, they located this site as a permanent base on land leased from a local farmer named Clark. It was the third revival camp established in the state, and the first known to be for an Adventist denomination. As with most camps, early revivals were held in temporary structures, mainly tents, including large ones for use as dining and worship halls. In 1964 the camp was formally renamed "Camp Bethel", and its ownership was converted to a non-denominational not-for-profit organization. It is still used as an organizing center for missionary work; its facilities are sometimes leased to other organizations.[
]
See also
*
References
External links
Camp Bethel Website
{{National Register of Historic Places
Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Gothic Revival architecture in Connecticut
Churches completed in 1877
Churches in Connecticut
Buildings and structures in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Haddam, Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
1877 establishments in Connecticut
Camp meeting grounds
Campgrounds in Connecticut