Camp Welfare

Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Camp Welfare has hosted an annual camp meeting, held in August, since at least 1876. The site includes some 100 simple cabins, called tents, arranged in a double U-shape. The older tents, probably constructed around 1900, are wood frame, while some of the newer ones are constructed of concrete block. Many of the families have continued to attend through several generations, passing their tents down through the family. The focal point of the site is the “arbor,” originally a true brush arbor and now a rough gable-roofed wooden shelter with benches where worship services are held.

KEYWORDS: BRUSH ARBOR, AME, CAMP, MITFORD, RIDGEWAY, WINNSBORO, FAIRFIELD COUNTY