The Bird Homestead and Rye Meeting House

The Bird Homestead and Rye Meeting House. Walk Rye History. , The Bird Homestead provides a rare glimpse into 19th century life on a small family farmstead in a thriving maritime village. This outstanding Greek Revival house, circa 1835, has survived intact, along with several farm buildings. Owned by one family for over 150 years, the house is as important for its occupants as its occupation. Three remarkable scientists, Henry Bird and his sons Roland and Junius, were born, raised, and spent much of their lives here. All made significant discoveries in the fields of entomology, paleontology, and archaeology. Henry's daughter Alice was a talented nature illustrator, while Doris was the much-loved children's librarian at the Rye Free Reading Room for 42 years., The Rye Meeting House has stood on Milton Road since 1867 when a Christ's Church vestryman purchased it and moved it here. The building was a schoolhouse from earlier in the 19th century. It became Grace Chapel, serving as Christ's Church's outreach mission to this diverse neighborhood. Around the same time, the Methodist Church also established a chapel at #626 Milton Road, now a private home. A small library was added to Grace Chapel in 1875 where Doris Bird later received her first training as a librarian. In 1959, the Religious Society of Friends purchased the chapel and used it as a Quaker Meeting House., Today, both buildings are owned by Rye City and operated by the Bird Homestead Preservation Trust. They are listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.