About the LVfirst Campground

The Lawrenceville Methodist Campground was founded in 1832, just 12 years after the city of Lawrenceville itself was incorporated.
In the early 1800s, living in Gwinnett County meant rough, isolated frontier life. Families lived miles apart, and circuit-riding preachers only visited occasionally. To combat this isolation, families would gather once a year for a week of fellowship, singing, and worship.

The heart of the campground is the large, open-air arbor. Built to maximize cross-breezes during the sweltering Georgia summers, it features a roof over a dirt floor traditionally covered in sawdust to keep the dust down and soften the footsteps of the congregation. As the annual campmeeting became a permanent fixture, the church constructed small, rough-hewn wooden cabins surrounding the arbor. To this day, they remain intentionally simple to preserve the historic, communal feel of the property.

What makes the Lawrenceville Campground truly unique is that it isn't just a museum piece; it is an active, living tradition. Every summer, Lawrenceville First United Methodist Church still hosts its annual Campmeeting week. Generations of local families return to the grounds to share communal dinners and gather under the glowing lights of the open-air arbor for worship and singing just as they first did in the 1830s.