Chautauqua Celebrates 150 Years
Chautauqua began in 1874 in New York State as an adult education and social movement. It peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies quickly spread throughout the United States including the 1881 founding of Maryland’s first Chautauqua resort community in Mountain Lake Park. The mountaintop Methodist summer getaway ranked among the top five destinations during its heyday welcoming thousands of visitors seeking a cooler climate and outdoor recreation as part of the summer programs.
The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture to people who might otherwise not experience it. Speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers, and specialists of the day were part of the regular season of programs. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt is credited as calling Chautauqua "the most American thing in America". The original Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York continues today and proudly celebrates its 150th Anniversary in 2024.
Known as the largest educational movement in America, Chautauqua encouraged education for women and children. Dr. John F. Goucher who founded a women’s college that later bore his name, was one of Mountain Lake Park’s original directors. He realized that the best way to educate children was through their mothers. Most women at the turn of the last century were expected to learn domestic skills and weren’t encouraged to pursue professional pathways. Even the brightest women saw little use in advanced education that would be wasted in the home.
Chautauqua programs included a multitude of disciplines that could be learned at home or at any number of in-person classes and workshops. Among them were literature, maths, sciences, astronomy, photography, and philosophy. Women who summered in Mountain Lake Park could fill their days with social and learning experiences while sharing their studies with family, friends, and neighbors. Children could attend kindergarten, allowing additional free time for mothers to attend classes.
Formal institutions for primary and higher education have replaced what the Chautauquas once provided. Mountain Lake Park’s revived Victorian Chautauqua offers a glimpse into the bygone era for one weekend each summer following the 4th of July. Celebrating the founding principles of the town with enlightening programming and entertainment has proven to be a summer highlight for those who attend.
