Great Friends Meeting House
Encyclopedia
Great Friends Meeting House is a meeting house
of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
built in 1699 in Newport, Rhode Island
. The meeting house, which is part of the Newport Historic District
, is currently open as a museum owned by the Newport Historical Society
. It is the oldest surviving house of worship in Rhode Island and features wide-plank floors, plain benches, a balcony, a beam ceiling, and a shingle exterior. Significant additions were made in 1730, 1807, 1857, and 1867.
The Quaker community in Newport largely controlled the culture and politics of the town in the 17th and 18th centuries, and many Quakers lived nearby in the historic "Easton's Point
" section of Newport, where their houses have survived. The meeting house was used as a house of worship until the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
departed in 1905. The local African American community used the building as a community center until the 1970s when architect Orin M. Bullock restored the building, and in 1971 its owner Mrs. Sydney L. Wright donated the structure to the Newport Historical Society.
Friends meeting house
A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
built in 1699 in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. The meeting house, which is part of the Newport Historic District
Newport Historic District (Rhode Island)
The Newport Historic District covers 250 acres in the center of that city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968 due to its extensive and well-preserved assortment of intact colonial buildings dating from the early and mid-18th century...
, is currently open as a museum owned by the Newport Historical Society
Newport Historical Society
The Newport Historical Society is a historical society in Newport, Rhode Island that was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport's history.-History of the Society:...
. It is the oldest surviving house of worship in Rhode Island and features wide-plank floors, plain benches, a balcony, a beam ceiling, and a shingle exterior. Significant additions were made in 1730, 1807, 1857, and 1867.
The Quaker community in Newport largely controlled the culture and politics of the town in the 17th and 18th centuries, and many Quakers lived nearby in the historic "Easton's Point
Easton's Point
The Point is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Newport, Rhode Island and has one of the highest concentrations of colonial houses in the United States. The neighborhood sits between Washington Street and Farewell Street/America's Cup in Newport looking out on Goat Island, former home to the U.S...
" section of Newport, where their houses have survived. The meeting house was used as a house of worship until the New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
New England Yearly Meeting
New England Yearly Meeting is a body of the Religious Society of Friends headquartered in Worcester, Massachusetts that includes Friends from the New England region of the United States....
departed in 1905. The local African American community used the building as a community center until the 1970s when architect Orin M. Bullock restored the building, and in 1971 its owner Mrs. Sydney L. Wright donated the structure to the Newport Historical Society.
External links
- Newport Historical Society meeting house website
- Mrs. William P. Buffum, "The Story of the Old Friends' Meeting House," Bulletin of the Newport Historical Society, Number 40, April, 1922
- Listing with photographs, floor plans, and historical data at the Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
See also
- List of the oldest buildings in Rhode Island
- Oldest churches in the United StatesOldest churches in the United StatesThe designation of the oldest church in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation...