In 1833 White County was still a part of
Habersham County. The area had only been opened to settlement in 1818
after a treaty with the Cherokee Nation. There was no town or village
of any size in the area. Gold had just been discovered in 1829 on
Duke's Creek bringing in a flood of miners along with those seeking
new land on which to build their homes. Even as the settlers were
breaking ground for their new fields, a group of Christians were
thinking ahead to the spiritual needs of the people. That year Aaron
Brown sold a parcel of land to them for $44.00 that eventually became
Mossy Creek-Campground. The first trustees were Clemmond Quillian,
Andrew Dorsey, Elisha Askew, Daniel McCollum and Jacob Duckett.
The site chosen for worship was
located near a good spring. The original meeting place was, no doubt,
under a simple brush arbor. The benches would have been only hewn logs
with no backs. There were no song books. At night burning pine knots
set on scaffolds would illuminate the area. Families came from their
homes by wagon or, on foot. The roads, where there were any, would have
been little more than a cleared space between the forest pines.. The worshipers slept under their wagons or in tents made of sheeting or
sail cloth with a campfire for cooking.
Over the years families began building simple
wooden shelters in which to spend the week. The floors were usually
only red clay covered with fresh straw to settle the dust. Beds were
just wooden platforms on which a feather tick and pillows from home
were placed. Quilts and coverlets were hung to give privacy. Chests
and trunks filled with clothes lined the tiny hall space. Hams might
be hung from the rafters. Everything needed for the family had to be
brought from home. Iron pots and cooking equipment were essential. To
provide fresh meat and eggs a coop of chickens might also be in the
wagon. The family milk cow would come on the journey tied behind the
wagon. She would be tethered behind the building with the horses and
mules. Fresh milk and butter would be stored in crocks and kept fresh
in the spring. Meals were shared together on long trestle tables under
the old oak trees.
The years that followed brought change to the community. In 1861 the
White County Marksmen numbering ninety boys and men met at the
campground and marched to Atlanta to join others of Company C of the
24th Regiment to serve in the Civil War. Forty-nine died in that war.
There were no services held at the campground for the next two or
three years.
After
the war the summer gathering continued to grow. In 1883 a Woman's
Missionary Society was organized at the campground. In 1884 they sent
$10 to the conference treasurer from the society.
In 1908 the first automobile was
seen at the campground. In 1912 The Gainesville and Northwestern
Railroad began service between Gainesville and Robertstown to serve
the new lumber mill established in what became the little village of
Helen. The arbor had to be moved out of the oncoming path of the
railroad about 1910 or 1911. The railroad brought new worshipers to
the services. On Saturday and Sunday during camp meeting extra coaches
were added twice a day. As automobiles became more numerous this
accommodation was discontinued.
From its beginnings Mossy Creek grew into an
annual week long revival in mid-August -during "lay by" time on the
farm. Here under God's own tabernacle of trees, hard working settlers
found spiritual renewal as well as an emotional release from the daily
demands of running a farm. It was a time to renew old friendships and
share in the fellowship of singing and prayer.
Even today the arrival and
setting up of camp meetings take on a holiday atmosphere as neighbors
greet each other. Now, however, the "tents", as they are still called,
may be a little more comfortable. Electricity and running water make
life a little easier. But the sense of tradition and worship are the
same. The children will be running and playing games on the broad green
meadow; the older members will find companionship in the shade of the
tin roofed porches; and there will be plenty of preaching and voices
raised in the evening twilight singing well loved old tunes to the
glory of God. As in the beginning, camp meeting is still a time to leave
the stress of daily life and be in a community of God's people,
sharing His love.
- from print's accompanying notes by
John Kolloch
*Dr. Billy Jenkins has written a more extensive MCC
history; contact him for more information.
