Chautauqua was an education movement in the United States, and was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers, and specialists of the day. President Theodore Roosevelt said of the Chautauqua that it is "the most American thing in America". The first Chautauqua, the New York Chautauqua Assembly, was organized in 1874 by John Heyl Vincent and Lewis Miller at a campsite on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in New York. Though few Chautauquas exist today, the Silt Historical Park gives you the opportunity to experience one yourself!
Learn more about our Chautauqua here: