Amusement in Buckingham County Part II
19th Century Camp Meeting
Among the Buckingham County-related manuscripts held at the Library of Virginia is a speech given in 1937 entitled “The Contribution of Buckingham [County] to the Confederacy.” Delivered before the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the manuscript is unsigned and attributed to William Shepard.
During his talk, Shepard remembered:
Burford’ s mountain, a rocky, hill just north of the road between the Court house and New Canton, people gathered every summer for the purpose of attending, for two weeks, a camp meeting. Here they had an opportunity to hear preaching in the morning, partake of a picnic dinner and refreshments offered at mid-day. The social season in the summer was a revival season, when the people indulged in “Vacations with God.” As a boy I attended several of these camp meetings, much to the disgust of my father.
William’s father was Miller Jones Shepard of Guinea Mills and apparently not a Methodist. William Shepard was born in the summer of 1897. The camp meetings he attended were likely held during the 1920s.
I’d enjoy hearing from any of you who might know more about these revivals at Burford’s Mountain.
slate river ramblings . . . . 
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