Lancaster Methodist Episcopal Camp Ground Historic District
Also known as: Lancaster Camp Ground
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Lancaster Camp Ground occupies about 45 acres on a wooded hill northwest of Lancaster, Ohio. It grew from camp meetings organized by the Ohio Conference Camp Meeting Association, which chose the site in 1877 after flooding along the Hocking River troubled earlier locations. The first meeting took place in 1878, and 227 cottages were built within five years. Streets radiate from a central auditorium whose roof truss spans 120 feet without interior supports. Most cottages follow the classic campground form: gable front, one and a half stories, about twice as deep as wide, often with board and batten siding and Gothic Revival vergeboards. Larger buildings include the Temple, the Tabernacle, Hotel Woodside and a museum. Owners built the cottages themselves between 1880 and 1930, when construction largely stopped. The district was listed as an intact example of the Methodist camp meeting movement, and it is still used as a seasonal community, with some cottages now winterized.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is an excellent, highly intact representation of the late 19th and early 20th century Methodist camp meeting movement. Its radial plan around a central auditorium, its campground cottage architecture and its history all reflect that movement. It is described as one of only two intact survivors of the campground concept in Ohio, the other being Lakeside.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87001560, listed September 10, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Hocking River, W. Fair Ave., and Ety Rd., Lancaster |
|---|---|
| County | Fairfield County |
| Listed | September 10, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001560 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1878-1930 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; cottages were constructed by each owner |
| Architectural style | Campground cottage form with modest Gothic Revival influence |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a campground; many cottages serve as second homes and about a quarter have been winterized. Plans exist to restore the Hotel Woodside as a museum. |
| Acreage | 45 |
| Coordinates | 39.72764, -82.63810 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87001560.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.