In 1889, five families met under a brush arbor to form the Nolanville Church of Christ and within a month purchased land at this site to build a permanent church. That first meeting led to 106 consecutive summer camp meetings dedicated to teaching, preaching, and fellowship. The Nolanville encampment drew as many as 1,000 people from a 100-mile radius for ten days each August and became a significant factor in the development of the Church of Christ in central Texas. Families camped in tents and cooked their own meals, and the meeting site was modernized over time to provide cabins, running water, and electricity. The last encampment was held in 1996.