Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) will hold its 2nd annual 1899 Camp Meeting Reenactment

Skillman, NJ – On Saturday, October 11 (rain or shine), the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) will hold its 2nd annual free, family-friendly 1899 Camp Meeting Reenactment with live music, costumed reenactors, horse and buggy rides, arts and crafts, baked treats, and more. SSAAM’s Camp Meeting is presented as part of Somerset County’s 20th annual “Journey Through the Past” weekend.

Camp Meetings were the social and spiritual event of the year in the Sourland Mountain region from the 1800s until the 1930s. These enormous community gatherings brought people together across racial, socioeconomic, and generational differences. SSAAM’s reenactment will take place at the historically African American-owned Reasoner-True House and National Historic Register-listed Mt. Zion AME Church.

Visitors are encouraged to bring their own picnic lunch to enjoy on the grass (blankets and lawn chairs welcome). Picnic lunch boxes will also be sold from noon until 1:30pm (or while supplies last). At 1:30pm, visitors will enjoy a concert by the SSAAM Heritage Ensemble, an all-African American choral group helmed by Vinroy Brown Jr. Family activities will include horse and buggy rides courtesy of Howell Living History Farm, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, and ice cream making. At the museum, visitors can experience a special oral history presentation featuring the voices of camp meeting attendees from the early 20th century.

Please RSVP here and reserve your spot! Tickets are free to all.

Schedule:

Camp Meeting Reenactment

• Saturday October 11, 12 PM - 4 PM
  • Picnic Lunch (bring your own or purchase a box): 12pm-1:30pm
  • Choir Concert and Featured Speakers: 1:30pm-3pm
  • All Day: bake sale, buggy rides, ice cream making, arts & crafts, museum scavenger hunts

Museum Open Hours

• Saturday October 11, 10 AM - 5 PM
• Sunday October 12, 12 PM - 4 PM

Location: 189 Hollow Rd., Skillman, NJ 08558

SSAAM’s mission is to tell the story of the unique culture, experiences, and contributions of the African American community of the Sourland Mountain region.

For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/ssaam-camp-reenactment

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