Philadelphia, United States
500 Arch St
N/A
As I was walking by, I saw that it was open, and as a rarely open building, I decided for a quick visit. I was greeted by a very friendly park ranger who explained the house, it's purpose and overall Free Quaker ideology. He gave examples of meetings and how the house was used over the years. There isn't much to the house but it's definitely worth a stop if it's open.
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The National Parks Service was using this Quaker Meeting House for weapons training while I was there in November 2019. There were guns being used inside... I was not allowed to see inside the building. I witnessed multiple rifles being carried from the building.
What a unique spot! This old meeting house is a hidden gem. It’s a great place to learn about the Quakers, early America’s religious history and more! You might even meet Thomas Paine and other memorable characters from the Society of Friends!
It's one of those low-key, under-promoted historic sites that most visitors will come across by chance. Like them, we had no idea what this place was but when we saw a sign by the door that says it's open, we walked in and was greeted by a man in costume and who stayed in character throughout our stay. He introduced himself as a Free Quaker from the 1800s and told us how he's different from all the other Quakers of his era. Being history buffs ourselves, we had a lively discussion about religion in the early years of settlement. This was definitely a great learning experience and worth the half-hour!
Pretty cool building to visit for a few minutes.
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