Portsmouth Friends Meetinghouse Parsonage and Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Portsmouth Friends Meetinghouse, Parsonage, and Cemetery (also known as Portsmouth Friends Meeting House or Portsmouth Evangelical Friends Church) is a historic Friends Meeting House
and cemetery of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
, at 11 Middle Road and 2232 E. Main Road in Portsmouth, Rhode Island
.
In 1638, exiled religious dissidents from Massachusetts
founded Portsmouth, the second oldest colonial community in Rhode Island. The Quaker community developed shortly after the community was founded.
The current meetinghouse was built around 1699-1700. The building was used as a Quaker house of worship and school. During the American Revolution
, British troops occupied the building. In 1784 the Moses Brown School
was founded at the church. The meeting house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973. Currently, services are held weekly on Sundays at 10:30 am. and 7:00 p.m..
Friends meeting house
A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends , where meeting for worship may be held.-History:Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should take place in any special place. They believe that "where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among...
and cemetery of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, at 11 Middle Road and 2232 E. Main Road in Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
.
In 1638, exiled religious dissidents from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
founded Portsmouth, the second oldest colonial community in Rhode Island. The Quaker community developed shortly after the community was founded.
The current meetinghouse was built around 1699-1700. The building was used as a Quaker house of worship and school. During the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, British troops occupied the building. In 1784 the Moses Brown School
Moses Brown School
Moses Brown School is a Quaker school located in Providence, Rhode Island, founded by Moses Brown, a Quaker abolitionist, in 1784. It is one of the oldest preparatory schools in the country.-Founder:...
was founded at the church. The meeting house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973. Currently, services are held weekly on Sundays at 10:30 am. and 7:00 p.m..