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Camp Meeting/Skillman

The Camp Meeting-Skillman section of Montgomery township is the focus of SSAAM's efforts in establishing a museum site and interpretation of the region's African American history.

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Modern Mt Zion AME Church Site: Originally located in Amwell. In 1899, another church was  built down the Sourland ridge at its present location on Hollow Road, from land donated by the True family. It is now the future home of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum.

Camp Meeting Site (Private property):  Located at the intersection of Camp Meeting and Hollow roads. From the beginning of the 20th century until the 1930's, this site hosted camp meetings, which were religious revivals held on Sundays during the summer months, for the benefit of the Mt. Zion AME Church.  The Camp Meeting was instrumental in bringing New Jerseyans of African and European descent together for a couple weekends each summer to enjoy a feeling of cohesiveness. Largely segregated in everyday life, the Camp Meetings brought them together in fellowship and song.

Skillman: Today, Skillman is the place-name of a large section of Montgomery Township. However, in the mid-1880's, Skillman was a small village, located at the intersection of Fairview and Camp Meeting roads. At that time, the village featured a post office, hay press, feed store and hardware store. It also had a station for the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, which served as a shipping point for farm produce, particularly peaches. 

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