
I took this photo near Brushy Creek, Texas. It is the Anderson Campground, commonly called the Brushy Creek Arbor. Families, who most came from Brushy Creek located in Anderson County South Carolina, began settling the area in the 1850s.

In 1873 land was set aside by a local Methodist congregation, to be used as a religious campground. E.S. Jamison acquired the land for sixty dollars of gold. A building was constructed to be used for religious meetings. A spring provided water for the campground where religious camp meetings were held each summer.

Weeklong services were held, and the local residents attended and lived in tents. They brought their own provisions and sometimes stayed for weeks. Sermons were preached several times a day. People of several faiths were represented and took part in baptisms and religious services.

In the 1870s, a sanctuary for the Brushy Creek Methodist Church was erected and in 1894 it was replaced by the present building. The popularity of religious camp meetings began to decline in popularity and came to an end in the 1980s. Even though not many arbors were able to survive, Brushy Creek survived for over 130 years.

On September 6, 1981, a Texas Historical Commission Marker was erected on the site and Anderson Campground received a National Register of Historic Places designation.