Illumination Night, a very fine affair

Thousands of people traversed the streets around the Tabernacle and the quieter roads within the rest of the campgrounds as bright and colorful lanterns hung from almost every cottage.

Grand Illumination Night, an almost-end-of-summer favorite, started Wednesday night at 7 pm with a prayer, community sing and music by the Vineyard Haven Band, and ceremonial lighting of the first lantern. 

The first Illumination Night took place in 1869, sponsored by the Oak Bluffs Land and Wharf Company. It was initially a festivity called Governor’s Day to honor Gov. William Claflin, according to the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association. It was the Seaside Gazette that referred to the annual event as the “Illumination,” and the name stuck. The newspaper called the event and the Oak Bluffs Fireworks, “a very fine affair.”

The MVCMA came out of the “camp meeting” movement of the 19th century, which eventually became a Methodist practice in New England. On the Island, in 1835, Jeremiah Pease and six men from the Edgartown Methodist Church, rented a half acre of land to hold a religious camp meeting on the Island, according to the MVCMA. It became known as Wesleyan Grove and grew rapidly. Between 1859 and 1864, the cottages, known for their unique gingerbread-like architecture, started to appear, eventually reaching 500 units. Today, there are a little more than 300 cottages at the campground.