These photographs were taken from inside the Indian Fields Methodist tabernacle, looking out at the surrounding ‘tents’, the communities cabins.

The tabernacle is opened sided and surrounded by 99 cabins (tents). The circular design of 99 tents around the tabernacle comes from the descriptions in Leviticus (and Exodus) in the Bible, from the old testament.

The camps were built in 1787, 1819, and 1886.

‘The internal layout of each tent varies, but typically each has two upstairs bedrooms with a central stairway. The downstairs usually has a dining area towards the front and another bedroom at the rear. Historically the occupants of the upstairs bedrooms were divided by gender, while the downstairs bedroom was reserved for the older members of the family. The downstairs rooms may be connected with a hallway, or the rooms may have individual exterior doors. The downstairs areas have dirt floors that are typically covered with straw during camp meetings. The cooking area is below a shed attached to the rear of the tent. There is a wood-burning brick or cinderblock fireplace under the cook shed, and usually a small room for the cook’s quarters.’ (Wikipedia)

Indian Fields, St. George, South Carolina.