From the Hamilton Wenham Chronicle, September 18, 2009

Hamilton -

The Massachusetts Historical Commission approved the Asbury Grove Historic District in Hamilton for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places at its Sept. 9 meeting. The nomination will be submitted to the National Register of Historic Places at the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., for final consideration and designation.

“The Massachusetts Historical Commission is dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s rich architectural, cultural, archaeological, and historic resources,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin said. “Inclusion of this exceptional place on the National Register will help to protect our heritage for generations to come.”

Asbury Grove was established in 1859 as a seasonal camp meeting ground serving Methodist congregations from the Lynn and Boston districts. As the site of open-air religious revivals, where participants took part in a week of intensive religious contemplation, Asbury Grove was one of several thousand meeting grounds designed for this purpose in the 19th century. Today, it is among the approximately 100 meeting grounds nationwide that remain intact and continue to hold regular summer meetings. Originally, no permanent manmade structures were allowed on the site: the campground was laid out with 40 large tents encircling a pulpit and seating area. But beginning in 1875, the tents were replaced by more permanent wooden structures, five of which remain today. The area also includes 153 modest cottages, some of which retain fanciful wooden ornamentation. A handful of dormitories, built by church societies from the member towns, also survive, as does a chapel built in 1884. A library, dining hall, and bakery, all constructed in the early 20th century, remain communal spaces serving residents. The 1894 Tabernacle, the large, open-sided worship space, has recently been restored. Celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2009, the campground continues to function to this day as the site of annual Christian meetings for Methodists as well as other denominations.

The Asbury Grove Historic District is one of eight historic resources around the state approved for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places by the Massachusetts Historical Commission at this meeting.

Galvin serves as chairman of the 17-member board, which meets regularly and considers historic resources eligible for the National Register four times a year.

The National Register is the nation’s official listing of significant historic resources. In Massachusetts, there are more than 65,000 properties listed in the National Register. The Massachusetts Historical Commission has been administering the National Register of Historic Places program in Massachusetts since 1966.

The Massachusetts Historical Commission is the office of the State Historic Preservation Officer and the State Archaeologist. It was established in 1963 to identify, evaluate, and protect important historical and archaeological assets of the state. To learn more about the Commission’s programs, visit sec.state.ma.us/mhc.