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Early Years
Balls Creek Campground was established in 1853 by Rev. H.H. Durant and Rev. Lewis Scarborough as a place to hold religious services. Local Methodists helped establish the campgrounds and meeting site. In the early days, meeting goers would arrive in covered wagons and stay in them for the duration of the camp meeting. Other families built wooden structures or “tents” to stay in. These early tents were made of wood and had dirt or straw floors.

Early stories indicated that the camp received its name from a small stream that went through the campground called Balls Creek. A source of water for the families to use while attending church may have been one of the main reasons for that area being chosen as a campground. Families cooked over open fires around the arbor where the preaching was being held. Camp meetings was held in August after the crops were brought in and families could share and spend time with their family and neighbors.

Currently
In 1956 a large fire at the campground destroyed about half of the tents. New ones rebuilt afterwards were more modern with cement floors and plumbing.

Today the campground is operated by the Methodist church. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.