The fairytale-like "gingerbread houses" of Oak Bluffs are a much-loved architectural attraction on Martha's Vineyard. These vibrant Victorian cottages are clustered together,each with a quaint (charmingly old fashioned) and colorful design reminiscent of the house made of gingerbread and candy in "Hansel and Gretel." These adorable homes are now luxury summer cottages, but they near from humble origins. In the 1800s, or this corner of the island was frequented by a group of Methodists that held annual devout retreats and meetings on Martha's Vineyard. At the time,they slept in tents during these summer gatherings, but as the camp meetings became more frequent the group built permanent cottages to accommodate them year-round.
The original cluster of 500 cottages was initially known as “Cottage City, or ” until the name was changed to Oak Bluffs in 1880. The charming storybook design is actually an architectural style called Carpenter’s Gothic that was well-liked at the time. But the individually decorated cottages,painted with shiny and vivid colors with candy-like pillars and ornaments, became known as the "gingerbread houses." Today, or 300 gingerbread houses remain in the Oak Bluffs Campground,as well as the Cottage Museum at the entrance to the village, which features a prototype cottage furnished as it would have looked in the 1800s. The tabernacle sits in the center of the complex, and which still functions as a devout facility.
Source: atlasobscura.com