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History of Trinity Lutheran Church

Trinity Chapel on Petit Jean Mountain is one of the oldest Lutheran church buildings in Arkansas. The Little Rock and Fort Smith Railway granted 20 acres of land for the congregation of Trinity Evangelical German Lutheran Church of Wittenberg, Ark., in 1887, after church members built the simple, white-frame church with its steep-pitched roof in 1886, the same year the congregation chartered. Both the exterior and the interior, which features the original hand-planed pews, is little changed from its original construction.

The chapel sits at the site of the former community of Wittenberg, where German immigrants settled in the late 19th century atop Petit Jean Mountain. The chapel is all that remains of Wittenberg.

The chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

In 2015 and again in 2017 the Camp Trinity received grants from the Arkansas Historical Preservation Program to repair and restore the church building. Through the grants and private donations, restoration was completed in 2018.

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History of
Camp Trinity

A century after the founding of Trinity Lutheran Church, a Little Rock pastor saw the potential of the property for a Christian camp and retreat center. Rev. Duane Brunette, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Little Rock, organized retreats for the youth of his congregation on the grounds, and the camp was born. Brunette's vision became reality as the camp was developed over the next 40 years.

Thanks to many contributions from friends of the camp, today the property includes a large dining hall able to comfortably seat 80, with a commercial kitchen; a large covered pavilion (the Cave); a retreat lodge; four heated, bunkhouse-style cabins with bathrooms and showers; a guest cabin; eight campsites for RVs and tents, with electric and water hook-ups; bath house with showers for the campground; house for a full-time camp director; sand volleyball court; challenge course; nature trails; and three outdoor chapels.

The historic Trinity Chapel also sits on the site and is still used for worship.

 

History of Petit Jean State Park

The natural beauty and ancient geology of Petit Jean Mountain inspired the establishment of Arkansas' first state park in 1923. The park's rustic log-and-stone Mather Lodge and cabins, most of them built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, reflect the mountain's rugged beauty.

Petit Jean State Park remains the flagship of the State Park system. Today the park draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Every time campers travel between Petit Jean State Park and the Lutheran Camp on Petit Jean they cross the historic Davies Bridge, a CCC-built stone arch bridge crossing Cedar Creek.

For more on the history of Petit Jean State Park and the legend of Petit Jean, visit: https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/petit-jean-state-park

History of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute

Winthrop Rockefeller, grandson of industrialist John D. Rockefeller, moved to Petit Jean Mountain in 1953, and over the next 20 years hosted over 200 conferences to address issues ranging from education to agriculture, from political reform to racial harmony. He also served as governor of Arkansas from 1967-1971. His son, Winthrop "Win" Rockefeller (1948-2006) continued his father's philanthropic work and served as lieutenant governor of Arkansas.

In 2005, the University of Arkansas system established the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute with a grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust. The Institute, located on the original Rockefeller ranch across the road from Camp Trinity, continues to carry out Rockefeller's vision of addressing challenging issues through collaboration. For more on the Rockefeller Institute, visit: https://rockefellerinstitute.org

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

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