Origins of Grimsby ParkIn 1846 a large outdoor temperance meeting, called a 'soiree', was held just east of the Hamlet of Grimsby. Harriet Phelps Youmans in her book, Grimsby Park Historical and Biographical Sketches, writes, "it was held on the high bank in front of the home of Samuel Russ, Esq., which stood near the present Lake View House. There were long tables bounteously spread, at which the great assembly feasted together. There were over two thousand persons present to enjoy the programme of band music and speeches from the eloquent men who graced the platform. Two of them belonged to the famous Ryerson family." The Grimsby Camp-Meeting began in 1859, the same year that the Niagara District of the Methodist Church was established following the division of the Hamilton District. The Reverend Samuel Rose of Thorold became the first chairman. The Niagara District committee met at the home of John Beamer Bowslaugh. Attending this meeting were the Reverend John Wakefield, the Reverend John Shaw, John Beamer Bowslaugh, the Reverend Samuel Rose, David Houser, the Reverend Michael Fawcette and Jacob Beamer. These men were to become known as the "Fathers of Grimsby Park".One of the decisions made at the 1859 meeting was to establish a permanent site for the annual summer camp meeting. John Beamer Bowslaugh's property, situated just east of the 1846 temperance camp meeting, was chosen. Many things were considered in the selection of this spot. It was on the banks of Lake Ontario and had suitable grounds, good water from a spring, available pasture for horses and plenty of wood for fires. The grounds were thickly covered with fallen trees and brush and required a great deal of work to ready it for a camp meeting.Beginning on the last Thursday of August, the ministers and laymen worked together to prepare the site for the 1859 meeting. Volunteers turned out in large numbers with their teams of horses to draw the lumber for the tent floors and to build a preachers' stand and seats. Light-stands and platforms were built, the canvas tents erected and wood and stumps were gathered for firewood. At this first gathering, a single tent could be rented for $2.50 and a double tent for $3.50. To celebrate the first gathering, Reverend Wakefield gave the inaugural sermon. Following the success of this camp meeting, it became an annual gathering in Grimsby. The exception was 1862 when it was held in Drummondville near Niagara Falls.The meetings resumed in Grimsby in 1863 but the accommodations were primitive. Camp meetings were usually held the last week of August beginning on Thursday and lasting to the following Wednesday. Sunday was the most important day and the crowds were immense. There were three regular services of sermons, following which meetings to allow for religious discussions were held. The woods and the road leading into the campground were filled with teams of horses and wagons. The people brought baskets of food and picnicked in the woods or on the shore. During the meetings the seats in the Auditorium were filled to capacity and hundreds more stood, often as far as the tents, to listen and to sing.The Auditorium, a natural amphitheatre formed by the ground sloping slightly downwards from the outer circle, was used as a meeting place. A preachers' stand was built and used until approximately 1887. From the stand you could see the backless seats in the Auditorium for the worshippers. Backs were added around 1876. The seats were thick boards on logs, laid length-wise. When the ground was damp, clean straw was spread to make it more comfortable. Overhead the branches of trees formed a canopy. In December 1875 the Directors approved the construction of the Tabernacle and it was built behind and to the right of the preachers' stand. The Tabernacle was used on rainy days for religious meetings. It was razed when the Temple was built.A quote from Harriet Phelps Youmans: "At night the scene was lighted by fires of pine knots and roots, burning upon the six high, square platforms, which were placed at intervals around the circle. They were supported on stout posts and were five or six feet high. Strong wooden floors, covered with a foot or more of soil (out of which grass grew only to blacken and die at meeting time), supported these primitive torches. These fires served a double purpose: they lighted the place very satisfactorily, and the heat counteracted the dampness of the evening air, which was seldom noticeable during the long evening meetings."Arrangements were made for the Great Western Railway (the Grand Trunk Railway, 1882), which passed through the campground, to include a stop at Grimsby Park. This provided a great convenience for many people who came long distances to stay at the camp. At first the train stopped briefly while passengers unloaded their baggage. Later a proper platform was built. Travellers had to find their way to the opening in the rail fence and follow the rough road that wound its way through the thick woods to get to the campground.