Solomon Thatcher Jr., a real estate developer and financier, was key to the establishment of the Lake Bluff Camp Meeting in 1875. A devout Methodist, he was looking for a site to create a religious and cultural summer resort similar to those in the East.

With Thatcher’s promotion, reporters flocked to Lake Bluff and praised the camps in print. The Northwestern Christian Advocate wrote that Lake Bluff is “where a thousand good families may find all the benefits of expensive seaside resorts without the moral blemishes of those places frequented by the fast and loose classes. Dancing, card-playing, billiards, horse-racing etc. are NOT among Lake Bluff attractions. Children of all ages wander among the bluffs, the ravines, along its beach, and drink of its mineral springs without fear of being lost or taken.”

Another figure active in the camp meeting was James Hobbs, who served as Association president. At the end of the camp meeting era, James Hobbs and his wife Marilla established the Methodist Deaconess Orphanage, later called the Lake Bluff Children’s Home. His wife was a big supporter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

Another figure active in the camp meeting was James Hobbs, who served as Association president. At the end of the camp meeting era, James Hobbs and his wife Marilla established the Methodist Deaconess Orphanage, later called the Lake Bluff Children’s Home. His wife was a big supporter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

The Camp Meeting slogan, from the writings of William Wordsworth, was “‘Come forth into the light of things; Let nature be your teacher.”