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Old Quaker Meetinghouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
New York State Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0141
Location	137-16 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, Queens in New York, New York
Coordinates	40°45′46.9″N 73°49′49.3″W / 40.763028°N 73.830361°W / 40.763028; -73.830361
Built	1694-1719
Architectural style	American colonial
NRHP reference No.	67000015
NYSRHP No.	08101.000001
NYCL No.	0141
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 24, 1967
Designated NHL	December 24, 1967
Designated NYSRHP	June 23, 1980
Designated NYCL	August 18, 1970

The Flushing Friends Quaker Meeting House, also the Old Quaker Meeting House, is a historic Quaker house of worship located at 137-16 Northern Boulevard, in Flushing, Queens, New York. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967 and a New York City designated landmark in 1970. Today, it still serves as a Quaker Meeting, with meetings for worship taking place every Sunday.

History

Colonial times

The Flushing Friends Quaker Meeting House was built in 1694 as a small frame structure on land acquired in 1692 by John Bowne and John Rodman in Flushing, New York. The first recorded meeting held there was on November 24, 1694. This original structure is now the easterly third of the current structure, which was expanded 1716-1719. According to one source, the original structure was renovated in 1704 and then demolished in 1716. The Flushing meeting house was the second meeting house to be built on Long Island, the first one being built in Oyster Bay in 1672, which no longer stands.

The Quakers, coming from the Netherlands, settled in the area in 1657 and meetings were held in people's homes until the Meeting House was built. Henry Townsend offered his home for meetings, but was fined for harboring “pestilents,” which was how the Quakers were regarded. The Quakers continued to meet in secret in the woods until John Bowne offered his home for meetings. Bowne was banished to Holland for refusing to pay the fine, but returned two years later to combat the persecution that the Quakers faced. The group drafted the Flushing Remonstrance and in Holland, Bowne pleaded before the Dutch West India Company to honor the cause of religious freedom, and a letter was written in 1663 to Governor Stuyvesant to end the persecution of Quakers.

The building contains a partition which can be lowered and raised, and separates the men's from the women's side. Typically business meetings would be conducted by each group independently, then the partition would be raised for the religious meeting.

Occupation by the Royal Army

During the American Revolutionary War, the Meeting House was seized by the Royal Army and in 1776, converted to a barracks, prison, and hospital for soldiers. After the war, in 1783, the Quakers returned the building to its original use.

Renovations and repairs

In 1976, repairs were recommended to the building that totaled an estimated $70,000. After two and half centuries, the building constructed from solid timbers, suffered from “dry not rot and beetle teeth”. A volunteer archeological crew from New York University and the New York State Division for Historic Preservation was formed to survey the site for stabilization work funded by the Society of Friends and a grant from the National Park Service. The crew conducted tests to determine the nature of the surface below the Meeting House floor. Since no evidence of significant cultural or archaeological artifacts were found, it was determined that excavation for the stabilization work could continue.

In 2005, the city allocated $600,000 to complete required repairs to the roof, gutters chimney, window frames, and porch deck, but as of 2006, no repairs were started because the amount of paperwork required. New architectural designs need to be approved by the Landmark Preservation Committee before any work can be done. Although the building requires repairs, it is still open for meetings and Sunday School.

Graveyard

In 2012, the Religious Society of Friends said that their graveyard, which contains hundreds of unmarked graves, was dug into by a construction company working on an adjacent lot. The company erected a fence on disputed property and caused an outcry from the Quaker community about graves that may have been disturbed. After the Landmark Preservation Commission threatened a $5,000 fine, the company retreated, although maintained the claim that they did not disturb the grave site. Because of custom at the time, some graves do not display identifying headstones. Rosemary Vietor, vice president of the Bowne House Historical Society said the contested area may have contained the remains of John Bowne and his successive wives. Although an archeological survey, completed in 2010 at the recommendation of the Landmarks Preservation Committee, approved the adjacent lot for construction, the Quaker community still feels that the issue is unresolved. Descendants of the Bowne family have been called upon to help raise awareness of the issue.

Landmark statuses

The Friends Meeting House in Flushing was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1967. The Meeting House was also designated a New York City Landmark in 1970; in its report, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission reported among their findings that the Friends Meeting house “has a special character, special historical and aesthetic interest and value as part of the development, heritage and cultural characteristics of New York City.” Further, the Commission noted that it is the oldest place of worship still standing in the city and is an example of medieval architecture.

See also

• John Bowne House
• List of the oldest Christian denominations in the United States
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens
• List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
3. ^ "Old Quaker Meetinghouse". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-11. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
4. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory: Nomination Form #10-300. October 11, 1975.
5. ^ “Old Edifice is Landmark in Flushing.” Long Island Press. April 22, 1933. Vertical files, Queens Borough Public Library. Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
6. ^ Wilford, Sarah. “Peace Reigns in Simple Quaker Church.” Long Island Press. July 13, 1935. Vertical files, Queens Borough Public Library. Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
7. Religious Society of Friends. “Help us preserve a 17th Century Landmark.” Flushing Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. 1976. Vertical files, Queens Borough Public Library. Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
8. ^ Orin, Deborah. “Quaker Meeting House in Bad Shape.” Long Island Press. October 31, 1976. Vertical files, Queens Borough Public Library. Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine
9. ^ Mayer, Susan N. "Report on Test Excavations at the Quaker Meeting House, Flushing, Queens County." Suffolk County Archeological Association Newsletter. vol. 12, no. 2 (1986). July 23, 2006. Vertical files, Queens Borough Public Library. Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine>
10. ^ Vandam, Jeff. "Finding the Funds for a 17th-Century Fixer-Upper" The New York Times. July 23, 2006.
11. ^ Maslin Nir, Sarah. "Quakers Say Contractors Desecrated a Historic Queens Graveyard" The New York Times. April 2, 2012.
12. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission. “Friends Meeting House.” August 18, 1970. Vertical files, Queens Borough Public Library. Archived 2013-11-05 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Old Quaker Meeting House (official site, archived link by Wayback Machine)
• modern site of the Flushing Meeting Religious Society of Friends

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Queens, New York
Historic districts	68th Avenue–64th Place 75th Avenue–61st Street Broadway–Flushing Central Avenue Central Ridgewood Cooper Avenue Row Cornelia–Putnam Cypress Avenue East Cypress Avenue West Douglaston Hill Douglaston Far Rockaway Beach Bungalow Forest–Norman Fresh Pond–Traffic Grove–Linden–St. John's Hunters Point Jackson Heights Jacob Riis Park Madison–Putnam–60th Place Richmond Hill Seneca Avenue East Seneca–Onderdonk–Woodward Stockholm–DeKalb–Hart Summerfield Street Row Sunnyside Gardens Woodbine–Palmetto–Gates
Historic properties	Houses Allen-Beville House John Bowne House Ralph Johnson Bunche House Cornelius Van Wyck House King Manor Kingsland Homestead Lent Homestead and Cemetery Louis Armstrong House Queens County Farm Museum Steinway Mansion Vander Ende–Onderdonk House Voelker Orth Museum Religious buildings Astoria Center of Israel Church of the Resurrection The Church-in-the-Gardens First Presbyterian Church of Far Rockaway First Presbyterian Church of Newtown First Reformed Church Free Synagogue of Flushing Grace Episcopal Church Complex Old Quaker Meeting House Protestant Reformed Dutch Church of Flushing Reformed Church of Newtown Rego Park Jewish Center Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Church St. George's Church St. Luke's Episcopal Church St. Matthew's Episcopal Church St. Matthias Roman Catholic Church St. Monica's Church St. James Church Temple of Israel Synagogue Congregation Tifereth Israel Trinity Chapel Trinity Lutheran Church Post offices Far Rockaway Flushing Forest Hills Jackson Heights Jamaica Long Island City Subway stations Court Square–23rd Street station Elmhurst Avenue station Flushing–Main Street station Other structures Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 878 Beth Olam Cemetery Bohemian Citizens' Benevolent Society College Point Little League Building Flushing Armory Flushing High School Flushing Meadows Carousel Flushing Town Hall Forest Park Carousel Fort Tilden Fort Totten Fort Totten Officers' Club Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning Jamaica Chamber of Commerce Building Jamaica Savings Bank Kaufman Astoria Studios J. Kurtz and Sons Store Building La Casina Long Island City Courthouse Long Island Motor Parkway Maple Grove Cemetery Marine Air Terminal New York State Pavilion Old Town of Flushing Burial Ground Parkway Village Poppenhusen Institute Prospect Cemetery PS 66 Queens County Savings Bank Queensboro Bridge RKO Keith's Theater Rockaway Courthouse Sidewalk clock on Jamaica Avenue Sohmer and Company Piano Factory Spear and Company Factory Triboro Hospital for Tuberculosis TWA Flight Center Wyckoff-Snediker Family Cemetery
National Historic Landmarks	Ralph Johnson Bunche House King Manor Louis Armstrong House Old Quaker Meeting House
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens, New York and List of National Historic Landmarks in New York

• National Historic Landmarks in New York City
• Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Queens, New York
• Quaker meeting houses in New York City
• New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens, New York
• Religious buildings and structures in New York City
• Churches in Queens, New York
• Religious buildings and structures completed in 1694
• Flushing, Queens
• 18th-century Quaker meeting houses
• 1694 establishments in the Province of New York
• New York State Register of Historic Places in Queens County