Rustic Neon

@Stunner: Lol. I was the pastor there.

@Michael Skorulski: It was all piney woods and agricultural. Atlanta was not "Atlanta" as we know it today back in 1827, so the rural ways were firmly established over the years. Now that Atlanta is washing over this area and encapsulating all the smaller communities into metro captivity, there is much anxiety among the old line families as to the changes that are rapidly overtaking their beloved home.

@Rags: Five years there as Senior Pastor. Met lots of interesting people, and learned plenty about pastoring in a historic setting like this.

@Mandy: Going onto the 32 acre site is like going into the country.

@Craiger: I've done a sepia photo series of some of the interior of the campground. When the well runs dry, I'll dip into the archives and put up a few here.

As for the campground, it covers 32 piney/oak treed acres, but it's not a campground for "camping" in the national park sense. It's for camp meetings, which are like religious revivals. These began happening here back in the 19th century because of a fresh creek that provided water at this site for travellers on horseback and in wagons. They would pitch their tents or later there were cabins built on-site for them to stay in during the week of revival (or camp meeting). Now there are many circa-1920s rustic cabins on the property, as well as a new church building (where church members meet for worship each Sunday). But the camp meeting tradition continues for one week every summer, and people who know about it travel to get there. It's almost like falling into a time warp that week.

@Helma: ;-)

@vu@granby - Wolfgang Prigge: Thanks, I'm glad you like the image and the story behind it.

@Judy: Yes. In Bradenton.

@eddy: Thanks for stopping over.

@Lorraine: Ha-ha! I didn't just find it Lorraine; I worked here for five years.

@Jason Kravitz: One more interesting thing about the name of this church is that it is not located in Smyrna, GA, but Conyers, GA -- which is about 14 miles east along I-20 in Rockdale Co. Civil War buffs might enjoy knowing this also -- that this campground is a place where some of Gen. Sherman's troops allegedly camped as they burned Atlanta and completed their "march to the sea." Artifacts are still occasionally unearthed on the campground from the Civil War period, so there is probably some truth to the story.

@tyan: I spent five years there and had some very interesting experiences. Your translation of "Smyrna" is something I'd never heard before; my understanding is that it got its name from one of the seven churches in Revelation.

@Steven: Am happy you liked this one Steven.

@Chris: Thanks Chris. This may be the last of all Presbyterian churches in the USA to hold camp meetings annually. There is rumor one in Texas does, but no confirmation anywhere that I could find. There are two Methodist campgrounds in the area of Conyers (Smyrna Church) that also hold camp meetings in modern times.

@amy: Always aiming to please... thanks amy.

@Ken McCoy: Think so? Just wait until you see tomorrow's post...

@Rebecca: How exciting that your dad delivered that message on the church at Smyrna. You can't imagine how happy and delighted I am to find your comment here today. And not just because you put some nice positive things in it. Mostly just because if you're commenting, things must be getting a little less hectic around the house, and maybe less feeling "icky-PG" for you.