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New Jersey circa 1905. "Tent life at Ocean Grove," the Methodist summer retreat also seen here. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
I live year round in Ocean Grove.
The tents still stand pretty much unchanged since this 1905 photo was taken.
Ocean Grove survived Hurricane Sandy with damage to the boardwalk and The Great Auditorium roof in 2012. Repairs continue.
I suggest these links to see current footage of the tents and much much more:
Not only was there no traffic in Ocean Grove on Sundays, on Saturday evenings you actually had to go get your car and park it "outside the gate" as my inlaws called it.
I just read that the tents are still there in season and can be rented, though reservations are sold out for 10 years in advance. $4k-$5k a year, these days.
The town of Pacific Grove on California's Monterey Peninsula began as a Methodist tent camp, and one can still see cottages built on the original tent platform "foundations." No, they're not to current code, but are grandfathered for occupancy.
"PG," as it's locally known, was dry until 1969, and I still remember the lines at the liquor store just across the Monterey city line on Friday and Saturday nights.
The late 19th Century Methodists were all about combining religion with fun ... teetotal fun, but fun nonetheless. Hymn-sings, stunning vistas, even ocean bathing for the hardy; Monterey Bay's waters are never above 60 degrees F!
Ocean Grove was closed to traffic on Sundays when I was a kid. There were stone pillars with chains to enforce it. It was some religious thing, I think.
Once a season we drove there for a day on the beach.
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