Visit the gingerbread cottages on Martha’s Vineyard and you will have the most enchanting afternoon.
You can see lots of these charming little cottages with beautiful filagree trim in the Oak Bluffs area. If you wander the neighborhoods outside of town, there are more small clusters of these historic buildings. For a concentrated dose of gingerbread cottage color, head to the Methodist Campground in Oak Bluffs center, steps from the harbor.
In the 1800s the campground was the site of Methodist retreats. People set up their tents on allotted sites. The land belongs to the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association, known as MVCMA.
Starting in the 1850s, small wooden cottages were constructed on the original tent sites.
Most of the cottages were built between 1859 – 1880. The cottages are privately owned.
The campground includes over 30 acres of open space, churches and cottages.
The cottages tend to be narrow and close to their neighbor, because they needed to fit in the same footprint of the allotted tent site.
The dwellings feature whimsical trim and brightly colored exteriors. An elderly neighbor of ours, who was born in the campground over 100 years ago, once told us that the cottages were originally somber shades of black and white and the residents of her time would have been shocked by today’s bright colors. Another resident of the campground disputed that fact, telling me that her family has old photos of their cottage and it was a bright color. I haven’t gotten the real story yet. A trip to the visitor center could probably settle the matter.
The cottages are mainly summer homes. Most of the houses are not winterized.
You can take walking tours, tour some of the cottages or visit the Cottage Museum for a display of campground artifacts and a lecture about the campground. There is a small shop in the same building.
At the center of the community is the large open-sided iron Tabernacle, with a stage and seating, adorned with stained glass around the roof. This is the heart of the community, where people worship on Sunday mornings and special events, such as concerts, are held.
Attendees can sit in the tabernacle or on the surrounding lawns.
The height of summer is celebrated with the campground’s main event, called The Grand Illumination Night. Residents decorate their cottages with lanterns. The evening begins with a community sing. When the singing is finished and darkness has set in, the lanterns lining the Tabernacle are lit and all of the cottages light their lanterns. The crowds then stroll the walkways and admire the beautiful lanterns. I’ll share more about Illumination Night in another post.
The residents fully embrace the gingerbread cottage aesthetic. There are little cottages tucked into corners.
Some of the sheds and garages are works of art.
Many cottages include miniature cottages.
Even the trim of the local hotel is a nod to the campground style
You can find more information at the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association website.
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