Christian camp meetings had a huge following from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Some were small and transient, while others, like Bayside in Northport, were large and well-established. The August 7, 1879 Republican Journal, quoting from the Philadelphia Times, described the origins of the camp meeting as “the desire of godly people to go to the woods for calm meditation and worship.” The wooded Maple Grove Campground on Mt. Ephraim Road in Searsport had the right setting as well as a hotel, meeting hall, and several family-size buildings. People came from all around to hear local or traveling preachers. This crowd may have gathered on a “Big Sunday,” in the 1920s, when people were baptized in Cains Pond.
The campground succumbed to fire, and what was not burned fell into disrepair. There is no evidence left of Maple Grove.