Description: This photograph shows the Society of Friends Meeting House in Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio, ca. 1880-1889, with two girls walking down the street. The meeting house still serves the Quaker community in the area. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00449
Subjects: Quakers; Society of Friends; Quaker meeting houses; Religion in Ohio
Places: Wilmington (Ohio); Clinton 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)
 

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: First portrait to be labelled George Fox. It was engraved and published in 1799. When the National Portrait Gallery examined the engraving in 1932, they said the painting from which it was made was probably done in the latter part of the 18th century. George Fox, born in England in July of 1624 was an English dissenter of religion and politics. He became the founder of the Society of Friends. He died on January 13, 1691 and was buried in the Nonconformists' burying ground at Bunhill Fields in London, England. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07934
Subjects: Portraits; Quakers; Society of Friends;
Places: London (England)
 

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: This is a photographic print of Elisha Bates, a leading Ohio Quaker living in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. Bates worked as a printer and was involved in the Beaconite controversy. Bates was born in Virginia, but came to Ohio to escape slavery in 1817 where he was an editor, printer, school teacher, and theologian. He purchased the first anti-slavery newspaper in America, "The Philanthropist" and advocated for an end to slavery and opposed colonialism. In the late 1810s and throughout the 1820s, Bates' focus shifted and he primarily wrote about theological ideas and religious doctrines for the Society of Friends. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07955
Subjects: Quakers; Society of Friends; Publishers and publishing; Authors
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the Friends Yearly Meeting House in Damascus in Mahoning County, Ohio. The sign above the door reads "Ohio Yearly Meeting Friends Church August 23-28 1938." Constructed in 1857, the meeting house served as a place of worship and community for members of the Quaker community, and remained in use until 1975. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06839
Subjects: Quakers; Society of Friends; Quaker meeting houses; Religion in Ohio
Places: Damascus (Ohio); Goshen Township (Ohio); Mahoning 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: Quaker Meeting House in Mount Pleasant before restoration. The meeting house was erected in 1814. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1970. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07923
Subjects: Quaker meeting houses; Society of Friends; Jefferson County (Ohio)
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: Buggies lined up outside Quaker Meeting House in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1970. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07924
Subjects: Quaker meeting houses; Society of Friends; Jefferson County (Ohio)
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: Congregation standing outside Quaker Meeting House. The meeting house was built in 1814. It was places on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1970. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07925
Subjects: Quaker meeting houses; Society of Friends; Jefferson County (Ohio)
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)
 

Description: Restored interior of the Quaker Meeting House. A special feature of the meeting house is its partition, which reaches from the floor to the ceiling to divide the space between the men's and women's side. This meeting house was built in 1814. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1970 View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07928
Subjects: Quaker meeting houses; Society of Friends; Jefferson County (Ohio)
Places: Mount Pleasant (Ohio); Jefferson County (Ohio)