Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1162395
85 EVERY SUMMER, TOURISTS FROM AROUND the world flock to Oak Grove on Martha's Vine- yard to see the colorful, whimsical ginger- bread cottages on the grounds of the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association. But did you know that just such a community exists right here on the North Shore, complete with pretty Victorian-era cottages and a rich his- tory of its own? It's the Asbury Grove Historic District, a Methodist camp meeting community in Hamilton that was established in 1859 as part of the camp meeting movement. "We like to think of ourselves as a hidden gem," says Wil- liam Zoldak, president of the Asbury Grove Historical Society. Asbury Grove, which is listed on the Na- tional Register of Historic Places, was estab- lished as a response to the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association. "It was specifi- cally for the people on the North Shore so they wouldn't have to travel," Zoldak says. Today, Asbury Grove is still an active community, with a mix of summer and year- round cottages and activities throughout the summer season. Asbury Grove also welcomes visitors for free tours of its historic grounds, including during Essex National Heritage Area's annual Trails and Sails event (held September 20-29 this year), when visitors can see inside some of the cottages as well as the chapel, tabernacle, library, a historically pre- served cottage museum, and other sites. ASBURY GROVE, HAMILTON The Hidden Gem PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOUG LEVY Ashbury Grove is home to camp cottages and resident historican William Zoldak.