Pembroke Friends Meetinghouse, Historic Quaker church at Washington and Schoosett Streets, Pembroke, Massachusetts.
The Pembroke Friends Meetinghouse is a wooden Quaker meeting hall with Federal-style architecture located in Massachusetts. The building combines original elements from 1706 with modifications made during the nineteenth century, reflecting different stages of its long use.
Robert Barker constructed this meetinghouse in 1706, making it one of the oldest in America. After more than a century and a half of active use, the community moved away in 1876, with members relocating to other locations.
The structure reflects early American Quaker values through its simple design, showing how this community created spaces for worship without ornament or elaborate decoration. The meetinghouse embodies the Quaker principle of plainness that shaped both their buildings and their way of gathering together.
The building is maintained by the Pembroke Historical Society and opens for local Quaker groups to hold summer worship gatherings during July and August. Visitors should plan ahead since the meetinghouse is only open during specific times and occasions rather than year-round.
Edward Wanton, a former sheriff who had witnessed executions of Quakers, converted to the faith and played a key role in establishing this meetinghouse. His dramatic change of heart demonstrates the powerful spiritual impact the Quaker community had on individuals in the region.
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