Religious camp meetings were a notable part of American culture from the 1800’s, particularly so in Alabama and across the South. Robert C. Morgan provides a fascinating history of the role and character of camp meetings in his recent volume “Praying in the Pine Straw: The Camp Meeting Experience in Alabama.”
Morgan, a retired journalist and former Southern Baptist pastor, has written a sprawling account of camp meetings in Alabama held by various denominations, focusing mostly from the Civil War through the early 20th century. The book is full of rich detail and the reader is transported to an earlier time when crowds would gather in rural locations to hear famous (and infamous) preachers and revivalists.
Subscribe to The Alabama Baptist today!
SIGN UP for our weekly Highlights emails.
I had heard of the evangelist Gypsy Smith, but learned there were actually three Gypsy Smiths, which was confusing then as now. The author fills each chapter with stories that bring alive an amazing part of Alabama religious history.
Conflicting reflections?
While I have no doubt of the factual veracity of Morgan’s account, I suspect that those who attended camp meetings may have found them more wholesome and edifying than his history might imply.
The book is filled with moral scandals of preachers, incidents of racism, violence and murder. It could be the case that this retelling of the history of these camp meetings, while accurate in detail, slants the story in a more negative way than was experienced by most people who “prayed in the pine straw.”
Share with others: