# 1505 - 1974 10c Rural America: Chautauqua Tent
Rural America
Chautauqua Institution
Reverend John H. Vincent and Lewis Miller of Akron, Ohio, created the Chautauqua Institution in the summer of 1874. Their initial goal was to train Protestant Sunday school teachers in an enjoyable setting.
Soon, the Chautauqua movement spread across the country, with local reading groups forming to discuss current issue. The institute also offered a correspondence course as well as a publishing house and theological school. By the early 1900s, “Chautauqua” became a term for commercial traveling companies who pitched tents and presented lecturers, orators, and performing artists to rural areas.
Over time, these traveling Chautauquas waned in popularity as movies and television became popular forms of entertainment. But the original Chautauqua Institution is still open and offering programs today.
Click here to visit the Chautauqua Institute’s website for more.
Rural America
Chautauqua Institution
Reverend John H. Vincent and Lewis Miller of Akron, Ohio, created the Chautauqua Institution in the summer of 1874. Their initial goal was to train Protestant Sunday school teachers in an enjoyable setting.
Soon, the Chautauqua movement spread across the country, with local reading groups forming to discuss current issue. The institute also offered a correspondence course as well as a publishing house and theological school. By the early 1900s, “Chautauqua” became a term for commercial traveling companies who pitched tents and presented lecturers, orators, and performing artists to rural areas.
Over time, these traveling Chautauquas waned in popularity as movies and television became popular forms of entertainment. But the original Chautauqua Institution is still open and offering programs today.
Click here to visit the Chautauqua Institute’s website for more.