Memories of the ‘Tent Revival’

The next nine days are precisely the 100th anniversary of the 1920 Tent Revival on upper 5th Avenue in Owego, according to a local resident and accounts provided from the Owego Times.  

The following, provided by Jim Ross, provides an interesting account of the event.

There is a book entitled “Before I Kill and Eat You”, by Henry B. Garlock, which details his missionary adventures in the 1920s and 30s and contains stunning accounts of his ministry. 

The title of the book comes from an encounter with a witch doctor in which he and some villagers in attempting to rescue a young girl who was kidnapped by a cannibalistic tribe were themselves captured, and now the witchdoctor allowed Garlock to speak “before I kill and eat you”.  

In his book, Garlock recounts that during his seminary days in Newark, N.J. he was sent for a time in the summer of 1920 to Elmira, N.Y. to assist a pastor. During his return, the train stopped in Owego. As he was standing on the platform waiting to reboard, some people came up to him and asked if he were a pastor and hearing that he was they said, “Praise the Lord, we’re having a revival and our pastor has taken ill, will you come and minister here?”  

He relates that he stayed there for three days and this group paid 50 percent of his stipend while in Africa. I was relating this event at a small Christian gathering one evening and still voicing that I have no validation of its truth other than what was in the book. 

One of ladies in the group, Barbara Intrieri, rose to the occasion and said, “If it happened, I can find it in the archives of the Owego Gazette.” A few weeks later she presented an account of the meeting.

The sponsoring group was called the Pentecostal Holiness Assembly and old Owego residents thought their little church might have been on East Fox street near the train station.  

Excerpts from the Gazette are as follows:  

“The meeting was held on James F. Pumpelly’s lot on Fifth Avenue” from July 8 through July 18”. Several minister’s names are listed and among them is one Mr. Garlick (sic) of Connecticut. As of July 15 “only one person has been definitely saved” … “while approximately 30 other people have knelt at our altar.” “Baptisms will be held in the Susquehanna at 2:30 o’clock Saturday afternoon.” … “Some of the curious have expected to see these religious zealots climb the tent poles …. or perform some other unique ‘stunts’ when seized with “the Power” …. Only one “religious prostration” has been reported so far. At Saturday evening’s service an elderly woman was seized with the power and fainted away. She was in this condition for about an hour.”

“…. and Henry Garlick (sic) of Connecticut who, following his ordination in the fall expects to take up Missionary work in Africa.”