A surge of evangelical fervor in the early 19th century resulted in the establishment throughout the country of campgrounds to hold summer religious revival meetings that were similar to Lee County’s Jonesville Methodist Campground. Spacious, shed-like auditoriums were built to shelter the large numbers attending the services. A particularly early example of this building type is found near Jonesville at the southwestern tip of Virginia. Surrounded by a wide lawn used for campsites, the 1827-28 structure was built on land established by the Methodist Episcopal Church of Lee County as a religious campground in 1810. The building has a long gable roof supported on massive oak timbers and side panels that can be raised for ventilation. Jonesville Methodist Campground has been in continuous use since its completion.