Description: Caption reads: "Old West Branch Quaker Church 3 miles N. of Union, Ohio, on the Garland Road." The Society of Friends, more commonly known as the Quakers, came to Ohio in the late 1700s and the early 1800s. The first Quaker to arrive in Ohio was George Harlan in 1795. By 1800, approximately eight hundred Quaker families were living in Ohio. The number of families had more than doubled by 1814. The Friends originally settled in eastern and southern Ohio and established Mt. Pleasant, Alliance, Salem, Lisbon, and several other communities in the state. The Ohio Quakers' yearly meeting took place in Mt. Pleasant. There, the Friends built a meeting house that could hold approximately two thousand people. The Quakers played a major role in nineteenth-century reform efforts including the temperance, women's rights, and abolition movements. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F12_014_1
Subjects: Quaker church buildings; Quakers--Political activity; Churches--Ohio; Quaker meetings
Places: Union (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Four images representing two postcards depict the interior of the Quaker Meeting House, also known as the Friends Yearly Meeting House, in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio. The meeting house holds 2,000 worshippers and contains a mechanism that allowed a partition to be raised and lowered. The partition was used to separate men and women during some special meetings. The first postcard shows the partition partly raised. The second postcard shows the Spanish windlass and wheel that was used to raise and lower the partition. These postcards measure 3" by 5" (7.6 by 12.7 cm). The Quaker Meeting House in Mount Pleasant, Ohio was built in 1814 for the Ohio Yearly Meeting. This was the first yearly meeting house built west of the Alleghenies. This meeting was composed of quarterly meetings from Ohio as well as Pennsylvania and the Indiana Territory. The final yearly meeting was held at the meeting house in 1909. The Quakers of Mount Pleasant were well-known for their abolitionist activities. As early as the 1810s, there are reports that the Quakers were assisting escaped slaves. In 1817, Charles Osborn began publishing the Philanthropist, which is regarded as the first anti-slavery newspaper in the nation. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3242_3832061_001
Subjects: Civil Liberties; Religion in Ohio; Architecture; Quakers; Society of Friends; Religious facilities; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: Built in 1814, this was the first meeting house constructed west of the Allegheny Mountains by the small religious denomination known as the Society of Friends, or Quakers. The town of Mount Pleasant, where the meeting house is located, has a long history of Quaker settlement. The Friends here were staunch social reformers and abolitionists, many of whom were active participants in the Underground Railroad. The meeting house itself acted as a community gathering place and a center of faith not just for the Friends living in Mount Pleasant, but also for Quakers throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. It was a massive structure that could accommodate up to 2000 people. From its inception until 1909, annual, quarterly, and monthly meetings were held here during which religious and business matters were discussed and debated. Men and women gathered separately from one another at meetings. During such occasions a wooden partition could be lowered from the center of the room to create two equally-sized spaces. This photograph displays the view of the Minister’s Gallery that can be seen from the women’s side of the building. In 1950, the structure was deeded to the State of Ohio and was later restored by the Ohio Historical Society and opened to the public. This picture was taken before restoration efforts had begun. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08202
Subjects: Quakers; Society of Friends; Quaker meeting houses
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: Mary Ann Edmondson was ten years old when she stitched this sampler. She was born in 1824 in Dayton, Ohio and was given training in "plain and ornamental" sewing at a Quaker school in Waynesville, Ohio. Only samplers made by the Quakers of Waynesville feature the baskets seen in this example. Young girls created samplers as part of their education and to practice sewing techniques, since clothes would often be marked to establish a laundering and use schedule. As was common with samplers in the nineteenth century, this piece features letters of the alphabet and numbers done using varying stitches. The sampler measures 17.32 by 17.71 inches (44 by 45 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1465_1149202_001
Subjects: Daily Life; Religion in Ohio; Quakers; Samplers; Needlework
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Waynesville (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption reads: "Main Building, Wilmington College." Wilmington College was founded by the Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers in 1870. It first offered classes in 1871 and about 150 students were enrolled. It is located in Wilmington, Ohio. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F03_004_1
Subjects: Education; Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Universities and colleges; Wilmington College (Wilmington, Ohio); Religion in Ohio; Quakers; Society of Friends
Places: Wilmington (Ohio); Clinton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Engraving published in London by T. Stackhouse in 1824. William Penn was born on October 14, 1644, in London, England. He was the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania after he had become a Quaker. The King of England granted Penn 45,000 square miles of land, making him the land owner of the largest tract of land in the world. He granted the land to Quakers and other persecuted religious people. William Penn returned to England. He died on July 30, 1715 near Twyford in Berkshire, England. President Ronald Reagan made William Penn an honorary citizen of the United States of America on November 28, 1984. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07937
Subjects: Quakers; Penn, William, 1644-1718; Entrepreneurship;
Places: London (England); Pennsylvania
 

Description: The Friends Yearly Meeting House in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio. The presence of the Society of Friends (known colloquially as Quakers) in Ohio dates back over 200 years. The denomination became well-known for their strict disapproval of slavery in addition to their belief in pacifism. They were also known for their assistance of fugitive fleeing their owners in the slave states, and their respect for American Indians. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06838
Subjects: Quakers; Religion in Ohio; Abolitionists -- Ohio; Antislavery movements--Ohio--History--19th century
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio); Ohio
 

Description: This is a photograph of a crayon drawing by Francis Place (1647-1728). Francis Place was an English gentleman, potter, engraver and print maker. In 1680 he became interested in art. William Penn was born on October 14, 1644 in London, England. He was the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania after he had become a Quaker. The King of England granted Penn 45,000 square miles of land, making him the land owner of the largest tract of land in the world. He granted the land to Quakers and other persecuted religious people. William Penn returned to England. He died on July 30, 1715 near Twyford in Berkshire, England President Ronald Reagan madeWilliam Penn an honorary citizen of the United States of America November 28, 1984. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07935
Subjects: Quakers; Drawings (visual works); Portraits; Artists; Penn, William, 1644-1718
 

Description: Taken from an engraving that is the earliest published portrait of William Penn. Drawn in 1770 in Phladelphia. He was the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania after he had become a Quaker. The King of England granted Penn 45,000 square miles of land, making him the land owner of the largest tract of land in the world. He granted the land to Quakers and other persecuted religious people. William Penn returned to England. He died on July 30, 1715 near Twyford in Berkshire, England. President Ronald Reagan made William Penn an honorary citizen of the United States of America on November 28, 1984. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07936
Subjects: Quakers; Drawings (visual works); Portraits; Artists; Penn, William, 1644-1718
Places: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
 

Description: Photograph showing a house that was once used as a station on the Underground Railroad. The description on the back of the photograph reads: "Another of the Winder stations in North Lewisburg." The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses and hiding places that helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom in the northern United States or across the border in Canada. Thomas Winder, a Quaker, was an operator who helped escaped slaves in the North Lewisburg area of eastern Central Ohio, along with other members of his family. Quakers were strongly opposed to slavery and offered help to slaves seeking their freedom as early as the late 1700s. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SC1338_003_001
Subjects: Underground Railroad--Ohio; Quakers; Abolitionists; African Americans--History; Houses; Antislavery movements--Ohio--History--19th century;
Places: North Lewisburg (Ohio); Champaign County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1848-1860, this photograph shows the Free Labor Store located in the home of abolitionist Benjamin Lundy in Mount Pleasant in Jefferson County, Ohio. Established by local Quakers, the Free Labor Store sold goods produced by free labor, refusing to sell items that were in any way produced by slaves. Today, the Benjamin Lundy House and Free Labor Store are owned by the Ohio History Connection. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL08032
Subjects: Lundy, Benjamin, 1789-1839; Ohio History--Slavery, Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights; Abolitionists; Quakers; Ohio Economy -- Economy -- Labor
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: This 7 by 5 inch (17.8 by 12.7) photograph, which was taken in 1890, shows the Friends Meeting House in Mount Pleasant, Ohio, the first yearly meeting house west of the Alleghenies. The three-story brick building was completed in 1814 for the Ohio Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, whose members are known as Friends or Quakers. Members of five quarterly meetings in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana came together to worship and conduct business. The building's interior is dominated by a large auditorium with extensive galleries above. A retractable wooden partition divided the 2000-seat auditorium so that men and women could meet separately during some meetings. The building was in active use until 1909. It is now a state memorial and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om712_1008529_001
Subjects: Religion in Ohio; Quakers; Society of Friends; Religious facilities; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)