Header — Mount Tabor Historical Society

Site 16: Simpson Avenue at Durbin

  • Durbin Avenue
Simpson Avenue grew to become the main thoroughfare of business and travel for this city on a hill. Centrally located, it provided cottagers easy access to shops, offices, lodging, and other conveniences.
Simpson Avenue, named after Bishop Matthew Simpson a pioneer in Methodism, became the main thoroughfare of business and travel of this tiny city in the forest. Its central location running the length of the grounds gave easy access to the store, boarding houses, post office, pump, and other conveniences. The rear of the Tabernacle has a broad frontage on this street with its shops on the lower level.
Other necessary enterprises were nearby including a well-stocked little bookstore, the Record newspaper quarters, tents for the Chief Engineer of the water works, the lamp-lighter, the chicken merchant, the bootblacks, and a large furniture tent.
Described in 1877, “Then there is a police headquarters. In this building are also a post office and telegraph office and quarters for the safe keeping of offenders.” As needs changed, the uses of the buildings changed as well. The post office would later move to the lower level of the Tabernacle. Today, the gazebo sits in this location.
This building served as the administrative offices of the Camp Meeting Association in addition to the police headquarters. It is said that the basement was used to hold offenders of the law, however, it was but little used. The Mount Tabor Police Department was disbanded when Mount Tabor lost municipal authority in 1980.

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