Balls Creek Camp Meeting oral history interview, 2002 August 24
Description
The interview is with members of two extended families, the Harbinsons and the Ewings, at the Balls Creek Campground, where generations have met to attend worship services, visit neighbors in their community, and relax with their families. Individual speakers include Bill Harbinson, Sandy Harbinson, George Harbinson, Sam Harbinson, Glenny Harbinson, Todd Ewing, Lida Hovis, Patricia Hovis, Pam Wilkinson, Michelle Ewing, and Jeremiah Ewing. The speakers discuss specifics and logistics of the campsite, such as ownership of the land, set-up and clean-up, schedule of events, cost and tax on tents. The camp meeting is important to these people at each stage of their lives. As young children they "ran around," many couples met at camp meeting, and returning with children and grandchildren each year is a family tradition as people age. The topography of the area is also discussed, in particular a spring, which the group speculates may have been the reason the camp site was chosen initially. Changes in the area such as new neighborhoods, schools, major employers and land use are discussed. Most camp meeting attendees in the early years were farmers, so farm life is also discussed.
