Quaker Meetinghouse, Religious gathering place in Adams, Massachusetts.
The East Hoosac Quaker Meetinghouse is a religious gathering place in Adams, Massachusetts, with two separate entrances and wooden clapboard walls. The rectangular two-story structure follows simple proportions designed for worship and community assembly.
It was built in 1784 by settlers from Smithfield, Rhode Island, and served as the central worship place for the Quaker community until 1842. The long period of use reflects how important this site was to the settlers' religious life.
The interior has separate seating areas for men and women, arranged with movable partitions. This layout shows how Quakers worshipped together while following their social customs of the time.
The building sits within Maple Street Cemetery, which holds many unmarked graves of early Quaker settlers from the 1700s. When visiting, pay attention to the burial grounds surrounding the structure and the grave markers scattered throughout.
The building retains its original wooden doors and window shutters from the 1700s, which have never been restored. These surviving original elements offer a rare glimpse into the craftsmanship and appearance of early Quaker architecture.
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