Alabama, Limestone County, near Athens
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North Side
This marks the site of Cambridge, a small town established in the earliest years of Limestone County. In 1818, it consisted of several business houses, shops, and a mill. It was one of three locations considered for the county seat, however the choice went to Athens, and Cambridge never grew as hoped.
During the "Great Spiritual Revival" of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, camp meetings were held here, sometimes lasting for weeks at a time. Among early Methodists who preached here were, John B. McFerrin who later became a Methodist Bishop and Lorenzo Dow, a man whose presence and message were so powerful that hundreds were converted by him, and children were named for him for generations. (Continued on other side)
South Side
(Continued from other side)
Temperance rallies were held here by the "Sons of Temperance" during the 1840's, drawing large crowds. The campground was also used as a muster and drilling ground by confederate units formed from Limestone County.
The eight acres for the meeting house and campground were originally donated by George Malone, an early settler, who came from Sussex Co. Virginia. He had large land holdings here and built his large home which he named "Cambridge" nearby. It was destroyed by fire in 1955.
Over the years, business gravitated to Athens, the rallying cries for salvation, abstention and freedom have faded from here, and all that remains of Cambridge is the old Methodist Church and the cemetery.
(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches, Etc. • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 13 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
North Side
This marks the site of Cambridge, a small town established in the earliest years of Limestone County. In 1818, it consisted of several business houses, shops, and a mill. It was one of three locations considered for the county seat, however the choice went to Athens, and Cambridge never grew as hoped.
During the "Great Spiritual Revival" of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, camp meetings were held here, sometimes lasting for weeks at a time. Among early Methodists who preached here were, John B. McFerrin who later became a Methodist Bishop and Lorenzo Dow, a man whose presence and message were so powerful that hundreds were converted by him, and children were named for him for generations. (Continued on other side)
South Side
(Continued from other side)
Temperance rallies were held here by the "Sons of Temperance" during the 1840's, drawing large crowds. The campground was also used as a muster and drilling ground by confederate units formed from Limestone County.
The eight acres for the meeting house and campground were originally donated by George Malone, an early settler, who came from Sussex Co. Virginia. He had large land holdings here and built his large home which he named "Cambridge" nearby. It was destroyed by fire in 1955.
Over the years, business gravitated to Athens, the rallying cries for salvation, abstention and freedom have faded from here, and all that remains of Cambridge is the old Methodist Church and the cemetery.
(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches, Etc. • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 13 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
