Ed sent me these pictures of an Upstate New York Methodist Cottage Community. Ed says that it’s a great little place and strangely reminds him of Jon Abram’s (South Mountain Company, “The Company We Keep”) co-housing “development” on Marthas Vineyard.
Ed is not sure how many of the places are winterized, as the road isn’t maintained in the winter. It is just a charmed place. He is not sure how many of the other Methodist Camps were as large but this is bigger than several others he has seen.
I personally think these are great examples of little houses or cabins that were made at least 50 years ago and we can learn from their design. Ed was not able to get any interior photos, so you will have to use your imagination.
There is another in Mass called Asbury Grove my uncle is the chairman (or something like that) the are SO cute
Asburygrove.org
Just tried to look that place up, couldn’t find it–where exactly is that place? I love love love the look of those cottages–the low porches and the the shady cabin with sleeping porches and the feel of settledness that comes from the materials and styles and so on.
The idea of such a collection being a community, with a history, is almost too much.
Just perfect!
Martha’s Vineyard is home to a HUGE group of Campground cottages, in Oak Bluffs, over a 100 I think.
http://www.mvcma.org/grand.htm
I have a methodist camp near me (Des Plaines, IL.) and although there are some very nice cottages, the idea of the land sitting lower than the floodplain makes the houses look neglected. There’s a small storefront just like the octagonal building. Also, plenty of scary shut ins. Maybe they visit the blog?
I adore this house! It’s so cozy and beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Well, Those homes built by South Mountain are not small at all. Oddly, the People who bought my small home On the Vineyard were moving OUT of the South Mountain Community. Too restrictive.
These Methodist camp grounds were called Chautauquas after the first one in Chautauguas New York. They are great examples of charming small houses.
My mom and I live in a cottage in Waldheim Park (Allentown, PA) during the summer months. Waldheim is an Evangelical Congregational church camp. We LOVE it there. So much so that I’ve tried to hunt down as many of these land-lease communities as possible. Word of mouth seems to be the best way to find them. Thanks for the post! http://www.waldheimpark.org/
We visit an active encampment which has been featured in some major publications: Bay View in Michigan. We stay at The Terrace Inn – charming!
There is a cottage community like this on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. It was formerly George Williams Bay College and was used as a movie set for the Keanu Reeves film Chain Reaction. Last time I was there it was in an excellent state of repair.
My grandparents lived in a cottage on such a Methodist Campground in Plainville, CT. during the summers, and went to Florida in the winters, spending November through Christmas with us in nearby New Britain. Families lived in the cottages while they attended the meetings in a large screened in auditorium. I have many happy memories of visiting them there in my youth.
There are a few Chautauqua cottages left in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Beautiful little ones, most had ornate shingle details and really nice designs. Some of the prettiest I have seen.
Please keep me informed about this wonderful possibility of living in a cool climate during the summer as we are considering a move soon to Florida. They sound charming!
Suzanne, I have one for sale in upstate NY where these photos are from!
if you are interested, please contact me at maryslingluff@yahoo.com. Thank you!