Central Oak Heights is an association of cottage

Cottage

__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...

 owners on
45 acres (0.22 km²) of wooded land in Kelly Township, Union County

Union County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 41,624 people, 13,178 households, and 9,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile . There were 14,684 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was founded in 1909 as a religious campground and retreat by the Bible Conference Society of Central Pennsylvania of the United Evangelical Church

United Evangelical Church

The United Evangelical Church was created in 1891 when some members of the Evangelical Association left to form the new church. Thirty-one years later the two groups reunited in Detroit and renamed themselves "The Evangelical Church." In 1946, the Evangelical Church merged with the...

. Ownership of the land passed through several churches when in 1946, the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren in Christ

United Brethren in Christ

United Brethren in Christ may refer to:*Church of the United Brethren in Christ, the evangelical Christian denomination*United Brethren in Christ , a historic church building...

 at a meeting in Johnstown, PA

Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...

 to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church. This body, in turn, united with the American Methodist Church in 1968 to form the United Methodist Church

United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...

. The Central Oak Heights Association, a non-profit corporation founded in 1987, took over ownership of the land in 1990. Although no longer affiliated in an official capacity with the United Methodist Church, a great majority of the cottage owners are members of United Methodist Church. The grounds of Central Oak Heights are traditionally open during the summer months only, beginning with Memorial Day

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...

 in late May and closing soon after Labor Day

Labor Day

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...

 weekend in early September. But the official opening is April 15 and the grounds close for the winter on October 15. Most of the cottages are privately owned and occupied during the summer months by the owners. There are several cottages and dozens of rustic cabins that are available to rent. Also available to rent, is the Shaffer Building, a large dormitory

Dormitory

A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...

 style building, a dining hall, The Tabernacle an open air church with auditorium style seating and roff, Sylvan Chapel a chapel

Chapel

A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...

 in the woods near the cabins, a swimming pool

Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

 and two picnic

Picnic

In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...

 pavilion

Pavilion (structure)

In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...

s.

History

The Bible Conference Society of Central Pennsylvania of the United Evangelical Church was founded in 1894 by a group of Evangelicals from Central Pennsylvania that were interested in holding camp meeting

Camp meeting

The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...

s or bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 conferences. They held their first summer meeting at Pine Grove near Lock Haven

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

The city of Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, micropolitan statistical area, itself part of the...

 in the summer of 1894. A location near West Milton known as Miller's Grove was thought by the members of the conference was thought to be the ideal location for their meetings, but it was not available to purchase until 1907. The Evangelicals of Central Pennsylvania continued to hold their meetings at various locations in the Susquehanna Valley including Sylvan Dell in Armstrong Township

Armstrong Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Armstrong Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The population was 717 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 near South Williamsport

South Williamsport, Pennsylvania

South Williamsport is a borough in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,412 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 and Grace Church in Lewistown

Lewistown, Pennsylvania

Lewistown is a borough in and the county seat of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies along the Juniata River, northwest of Harrisburg. The number of people living in the borough in 1900 was 4,451; in 1910, 8,166; and in 1940, 13,017. The population was 8,998 at the 2000 census,...

.

Miller's Grove

Central Oak Heights is situated on a knoll overlooking the West Branch Susquehanna River

West Branch Susquehanna River

The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the extension of the main branch, with the shorter West Branch...

 in Union County, Pennsylvania. It is across the river from Milton

Milton, Pennsylvania

Milton is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, north of Harrisburg. Settled in 1770, it was incorporated in 1817, and is governed by a charter that was revised in 1890...

 and just downstream from West Milton. This small hill was originally occupied by a small band of Shawnee

Shawnee

The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...

 who were governed by Shikellamy

Shikellamy

Shikellamy , also known as Swatana, was an Oneida chief and overseer for the Iroquois confederacy. In his position as chief and overseer, Shikellamy served as a supervisor for the Six Nations, overseeing the Shawnee and Lenape tribes in central Pennsylvania along the Susquehanna River and...

 of the Iroquois

Iroquois

The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...

. Shikellamy's main village was just downstream at present day Northumberland

Northumberland, Pennsylvania

Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...

 at the confluence

Confluence (geography)

In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...

 of the West and North Branches of the Susquehanna Rivers. This land was acquired from the Indians under the terms of the Walking Purchase

Walking Purchase

The Walking Purchase was a purported 1737 agreement between the Penn family, the proprietors of Pennsylvania, and the Lenape . By it the Penn family and proprietors claimed an area of 1,200,000 acres and forced the Lenape to vacate it...

 and the later Treaty of Fort Stanwix

Treaty of Fort Stanwix

The Treaty of Fort Stanwix was an important treaty between North American Indians and the British Empire. It was signed in 1768 at Fort Stanwix, located in present-day Rome, New York...

. Josh Hoffman was the first white man to hold a deed to the land. He received his patent in 1770. The land was owned by George Miller at the time it was sold to the Bible Conference Society of Central Pennsylvania of the United Evangelical Church. Mr. Miller was very found of "Miller's Grove" and sought to protect the stand of virgin oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

 that stood on his hill. One of the conditions of the purchase of the land was that the oaks be left standing. The Evangelicals paid $4,816.35 for the hilltop. They agreed to allow the oaks trees to continue to grow and most importantly they had a permanent home for their summertime meetings.

Buildings

The first camp meetings were held at Central Oak Heights in the summer of 1909. As many as 6,000 people came to the hilltop for these meetings. They arrived from the train stations in Milton and West Milton or if they lived close by they came on their horse drawn wagons and carriages. Some campers stayed in tents and others set about the task of building the cottages that stand today at the Heights. The first structures that were built included the octagonal outdoor church known as the Tabernacle, a cottage and a dormitory. Over the years more and more cottages were built on the hilltop. The founders of Central Oak Heights also commissioned the building of a summer camp

Summer camp

Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....

 on the southern slopes of the hill. This camp, closed in the 1980s, served as a summer camp for Evangelical and later United Methodist youth from throughout the United States. The cottagers and campers swam in the river at what was to become Milton State Park

Milton State Park

Milton State Park is an Pennsylvania state park in Milton in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Montgomery Island in the West Branch Susquehanna River, just east of the village of West Milton in Union County. Milton State Park is on Pennsylvania Route...

 before a swimming pool was built. The pool was built due to safety concerns regarding crossing the train tracks and U.S. Route 15 to get to the riverside. This pool was open to the youth of the summer camp and to the families that owned the cottages. A large dining hall was built in the 1950s for the camp. This Dining Hall was actually moved several hundred feet to the northwest in the 1960's. The move saved it from being demolished, since the old location was over the present-day site of Route 15, which was being expanded at the time from two lanes to four. Also built during this time period was Sylvan Chapel. This chapel is set deep in the woods of the campground.

Today

The Central Oak Heights of today is much different that what it was like in the early days. Most of the cottage owners are retired. They gather there in the summers with their families and enjoy the cool temperatures provided by the abundant shade given by the trees. Revival meetings have long since been discontinued, although Sunday worship services continue to be held in the original Tabernacle. The summer camp which ended in the 1980s is too part of the history of COH. The cabins still stand. Some have fallen into disuse and others are rented out to the occasional family or youth group. The swimming pool, dining hall and pavilions are also rented to families and youth groups and they receive regular use from the families of the cottage holders.

100th Anniversary

In the Summer of 2009, the Heights celebrated its 100th Anniversary. Many events took place on the grounds, including guided tours, concerts, open houses, picnics, and even Antique car

Antique car

In the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...

rides.

External links

Central Oak Heights map

Official website