Waldheim, meaning "home in the woods", was unique to all of the other campmeeting locations. In addition to the special week of campmeeting, for many years this facility housed the summer School of Methods serving as the youth camp for the Eastern Conference of the Evangelical Congregational Church. This arrangement served until 1964 when the Twin Pines Conference and Retreat Center was established in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania. Another exclusive feature to the Waldheim Park was the tabernacle. The original tabernacle was built in the round, it was the only tabernacle of the present day permanent locations which was fully "open air". The structure was such that only approximately six or seven were known to be built in the world. Waldheim and the summer playhouse structure at Mt. Gretna, near Lebanon, PA., were the two largest such tabernacles. The buildings were so unique that the engineering department of Lehigh University once made a thorough engineering study of the Waldheim structure. After 90 years of service the Mt. Gretna structure, which was constructed one month after the Waldheim Park's tabernacle, collapsed one month prior to Waldheim's. On March of 1994 the Waldheim tabernacle fell prey to the relentless snow and ice storms of early 1994. Architectural engineers estimated that 420 ton of additional weight, coupled with the aging lumber fatigue, caused the entire round roof of the structure to collapse.
Some of the early campmeetings were conducted by one local church, but Waldheim was a district wide effort from its very inception. Waldheim was known for its "romantic paths through thick forests with a miniature lake nestling on the hill." I must confess that "miniature lake" sounds much more attractive than "mine hole." The Herndon campmeeting which began during the same era of time, drew large crowds and recorded many conversions, but it also drew criticism. Following the 1905 season, The Evangelical published an article denouncing the introduction of such worldly devices as "baseball, candies and Moxie" to this place of spiritual respite. If you were to attend a coampmeeting of the United Evangelical Church, you would be kept quite busy. The day would usually begin with an early morning prayer service followed by a 9am "Quiet Hour." Preaching sessions were conducted at 10:45am, 2:45pm and 8:00pm. Children attended a 10am Bible School and a daily 1:30pm children's hour. Oft times the campmeeting would give daily conference. At 7pm a worker's meeting was held for the campmeeting's spiritual leaders. Somehow, the Herndon constituents shook off the "Moxie" scandal and the campmeetings thrived. By 1915 the Waldheim campmeeting already had thirty-three cottages erected on it's lots. The park, just a short trolley ride from the city, soon became a cherished place for Sunday School Picnics.
This page was last updated: June 27, 2011
~1936~
Photo's courtesy of
Scott Schneck
