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Salem Campmeeting began in 1828
Pictured in 1931, a Salem Campmeeting revival is underway in Newton County. The Salem Campmeeting is one of the longest-running events of its kind in the U.S.
Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection
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By TAYLOR BECK
tbeck@covnews.com
Salem Campmeeting, which is one of the longest-running spiritual revival meetings in the nation, has been held in Newton County nearly every year since 1828.
In fact, there have only been two instances where the meeting had to be canceled or altered. The first was during the 1860s at the time of the Civil War when organizers took a two-year hiatus due to the historic conflict. The second instance came just one year ago when the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll across the world in 2020, but rather than canceling the event, organizers chose to hold the meeting virtually.
The campmeeting is a non-denominational event held for seven days at the Salem Camp Ground, located at 3940 Salem Road — between Covington and Conyers (a city in neighboring Rockdale County). The campground was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1998. Its primary focus has been to bring Christians together from across the state and country for a week of faith, fellowship, family and spiritual renewal.
Dozens of families gather for the week in simple cabins, originally called “tents,” that date back to the mid-1800s, and the Salem Campground Hotel, which was built in 1938. These surround a historic open-air tabernacle built in 1854 that serves as the site of worship services three times a day. Hundreds more from the area attend the services and daily Bible studies, as well as youth activities held throughout the campmeeting.
Salem was a Methodist institution for 100 years, although never officially part of the church. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Salvation Army had an active role in the program. Now interdenominational, Salem features a Methodist preacher each year and rotates between Baptist and Presbyterian preachers.
In its earliest form, the campmeeting was gatherings of farm families during the “laying by” time between the planting of crops and harvest time — usually August. Arriving in wagons laden with a week’s supply of food and erecting temporary tents, the families would socialize and attend up to four worship services daily.
The late Sam Ramsey, who was former mayor of Covington and a Newton County businessman, was passionate about the campmeeting. Ramsey was a chairman of Salem’s Board of Directors and had attended every campmeeting since before his birth in the 1930s.
“I’m 78 years old and I’ve been here for 79 years,” Ramsey told The Covington News in 2017. He said his mother attended Salem Campmeeting while pregnant with him. “I never have missed a year.”
Ramsey died Aug. 25, 2020.
In 2014, Ramsey went on record to speak about the allure of campmeetings and why they were so special to him.
“A lot of the times I feel like it’s as close to heaven on earth as you can be,” he said. “It’s quite an experience. You have to be out there and experience it for yourself.”
Pictured left is the late Sam Ramsey speaking during a Salem Campmeeting held in the late 2000s. Ramsey said he had attended the revival events since
before he was born. Pictured right is Ramsey (far right) in 1946 at age 7. File Photo; Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection
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