Nolanville Encampment
Nolanville, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1889 five families met under a brush arbor to form the Nolanville Church of Christ and within a month had purchased land at this site on which to build a permanent church. That first meeting led to 106 consecutive summer camp meetings dedicated to teaching, preaching and fellowship. The Nolanville encampment drew as many as 1,000 people from a 100-mile radius for ten days each August and became a significant factor in the development of the Church of Christ in central Texas. Families camped in tents and cooked their own meals; the meeting site was modernized over time to provide cabins, running water and electricity. The last encampment was held in 1996. (2001)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1889 five families gathered under a brush arbor to found the Nolanville Church of Christ, and within a month bought this ground for their meetings. What began as a summer camp meeting grew into an annual August tradition that drew as many as a thousand people from a hundred miles around for ten days of preaching and fellowship. Held for 106 consecutive summers until 1996, the encampment shaped the growth of the Church of Christ across central Texas even as its brush arbors gave way to cabins, running water, and electricity.
Why it matters
Summer camp meetings were a defining feature of American frontier religion, and few sites can claim more than a century of unbroken gatherings that bound a rural region together.
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Related events
- · Nolanville camp meetings
Themes & tags
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