LHS: Camp Wesleyan

As part of the Lakeside Heritage Society (LHS) Sunday Seminar series, join us on Sunday, July 24 at 1:30 p.m. “Camp Wesleyan: 140 Years of Time Travel at J.T.N. Braithwaite’s Homestead and the Women’s Foreign Mission Society” led by LHS volunteer Bill Nicholson.

JTN Braithwaite bought a lot at the corner of Third Street and Elm Avenue in 1881 in the recently purchased east section of Lakeside. While serving pastorates in 21 Methodist churches, he spent summers in Lakeside buying and selling real estate and enlarging his home. After his ministry, Braithwaite founded a printing business in Lakeside. In 1922, he sold his homestead to the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Church for use as headquarters and dormitory for the summer WFMS School known as Camp Wesleyan.  By 1940, Lakeside assumed responsibility for the building and in 1955 it was sold to a private individual. This seminar presents a unique 140-year history of a home that changed to church camp to rental property and back to private home and the unique owners who resided there and left their impact on Lakeside.

Bill Nicholson was introduced to Lakeside by his wife, Connie, daughter of Eldon Snyder who purchased the family cottage on Cedar Avenue in 1977.