Merion Friends Meeting House facts for kids
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Merion Friends Meeting House
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Merion Friends Meeting House
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 615 Montgomery Ave., Merion Station, Pennsylvania |
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| Built | 1696–1714 |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001194 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 5, 1998 |
| Designated NHL | August 6, 1999 |
The Merion Friends Meeting House is a very old and important building in Merion Station, Pennsylvania. It's a special place where Quakers, also known as the Religious Society of Friends, gather for worship. This meeting house was finished around 1715, making it one of the oldest Friends meeting houses in the entire United States! It has unique design features that show its Welsh roots. In 1999, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark, which means it's a really important historical site.
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What is the Merion Friends Meeting House?
The Merion Friends Meeting House is located in a town called Merion Station. This town is part of Lower Merion Township in Pennsylvania. You can find the meeting house on the north side of Montgomery Avenue.
Building Design and Materials
The building is about one and a half stories tall. It was built using stone found right in the local area. This stone was then covered with plaster. The meeting house has a unique "T" shape when you look at it from above. It also has a special roof with gables that cross each other.
Special Roof Features
The front of the building has three sections, with the main entrance in the middle. A small, gabled porch covers this entrance. The windows on the sides and above the entrance have rounded tops. The roof also has small, overhanging sections called "pent roofs" on the front and sides. The wooden beams that hold up the roof are bent in a special way. This is a unique building method that came from medieval Welsh construction.
Burial Ground at the Meeting House
The property also includes a burial ground. This is a cemetery where people are buried. It's believed that more than 2,000 people are buried there. Many of the graves don't have markers. This was a common Quaker custom in the early days.
History of the Merion Friends Meeting House
The Merion Friends Meeting was started by the first known group of Welsh settlers in America. These settlers arrived in 1682. Building the meeting house began around 1695. It was finally completed about 1715.
Early Quaker Worship and Design
This building doesn't look like what people usually think of as a Quaker meeting house today. Before 1688, Quakers in England and its colonies couldn't always worship freely. They often met outdoors, in homes, or in barns. Because of this, they didn't have a set way to design their buildings.
Welsh Influence on Architecture
The Merion Friends Meeting House shows how early Quaker buildings were designed. Its Welsh-inspired architecture is a reminder of this experimental time. It shows how Quakers tried different ways to build their meeting places. Even William Penn, a famous Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania, preached in this meeting house.
More to Explore
- List of the oldest buildings in Pennsylvania
- Friends meeting houses in Pennsylvania
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
