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Newtown in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Friends Meeting

Newtown Heritage Walk No. 5

 
 
Friends Meeting Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 15, 2009
1. Friends Meeting Marker
Inscription.
Newtown Friends Meeting is an active place of worship for approximately 250 area Quakers. Newtown Meeting was co-founded by Quaker minister, sign painter and folk artist Edward Hicks, now highly acclaimed for his renditions of The Peaceable Kingdom. In 1815, Hicks gathered nearby Friends (Quakers) to meet in the empty Court House on Court Street after the county seat moved to Doylestown in 1813. Previously, these local Friends, members of either Falls, Middletown, or Wrightstown Meetings, had to travel considerable distances to worship.

In 1817, the main part of the meetinghouse was built on a two-acre lot bought from Dr. Phineas Jenks for $60. Several modest additions have been made since then: the horse sheds in 1819, the portico on the south side in 1868, the addition for classrooms and expanded worship space in 1900, and the addition in 1956 of more classrooms. In 2004, an expansion added classrooms upstairs and a new Gathering Room on the main floor where several full-size reproductions of Hicks' paintings are displayed.

Newtown Meeting is an excellent example of a 19th century Quaker meetinghouse. Devoid of any but the simplest decoration, the meetinghouse shows the clean and uncomplicated style favored by Quakers. The original meetinghouse has had few structural changes and still utilizes most of the
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original hardward and furnishings. The meetinghouse, horse shed, and burial ground offer a fine example of a 19th century religious complex so important in the life of its members. Hicks' grave, with the low headstone favored by Friends, is located across from the south porch of the meetinghouse.

Newtown Friends Meeting continues today in the tradition of early Friends - meeting in silence for worship, believing there is that of God in every person, and striving for lives characterized by simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship.
 
Erected 2007 by Newtown Historical Association and Newtown Friends Meeting.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial SitesChurches & ReligionPeace. In addition, it is included in the Quakerism series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1815.
 
Location. 40° 13.552′ N, 74° 56.186′ W. Marker is in Newtown, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County. Marker is on Court Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is about 375 feet north of the intersection of Court and State Streets. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 219 Court Street, Newtown PA 18940, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Whitehall (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); White Hall
Friends Meeting Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 15, 2009
2. Friends Meeting Photo on Marker
(about 400 feet away); Edward Hicks House (about 500 feet away); Edward Hicks (about 500 feet away); Bird in Hand (about 600 feet away); February 9, 1778 (about 600 feet away); Loyalist Raid of 1778 (about 600 feet away); Justices House (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newtown.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
 
<i>The Peaceable Kingdom</i> Photo on Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 15, 2009
3. The Peaceable Kingdom Photo on Marker
Friends Meetinghouse and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 15, 2009
4. Friends Meetinghouse and Marker
Newtown Friends Meetinghouse image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 15, 2009
5. Newtown Friends Meetinghouse
Friends Meeting Sign image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 15, 2009
6. Friends Meeting Sign
Walking Tour Map on Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 15, 2009
7. Walking Tour Map on Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 4, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 865 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on June 24, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.   4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on June 25, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
 
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of Hicks' gravesite • Can you help?

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Mar. 28, 2024