Nolanville, Bell County
In 1889 five families met under a brush arbor to form the Nolanville Church of Christ and within a month had purchased land at this site on which to build a permanent church. That first meeting led to 106 consecutive summer camp meetings dedicated to teaching, preaching and fellowship. The Nolanville encampment drew as many as 1,000 people from a 100-mile radius for ten days each August and became a significant factor in the development of the Church of Christ in central Texas. Families camped in tents and cooked their own meals; the meeting site was modernized over time to provide cabins, running water and electricity. The last encampment was held in 1996. (2001)