150 years later, visitors still flock to Pitman!
In the beginning, Pitman was created as a place to congregate. A group of ministers met in June 1871 and chose Pitman, then a part of Mantua, as a Methodist camp meeting site, finding the location “convenient and desirable” for “a rural country resort.” On Aug. 1, 1871, nearly 600 tents were set up in what is now Pitman Grove. Visitors traveled by train from across South Jersey for spiritual renewal and physical relaxation. The camp meeting grew in popularity with the first permanent homes constructed in 1873 and nearly 300 dwellings in place by 1880…