Mar 30, 1973
National Register of Historic Places - Old Town Friends' Meeting House (Aisquith Street Meeting;Baltimore Meeting)
Statement of Significant: The Old Town Friends' Meeting House is one of Baltimore's few remaining 18th-century structures. It is the oldest religious building in the city, having been built in 1781. At that time, the Patapsco Friends' Meeting, then located in Baltimore Country, received permission from the Gunpowder Monthly Meeting to move to the eastern side of Jones Falls, at Fayette and Aisquith Streets, and to build a meeting house there. George Mathews was the contractor for the building, which was considered to be "quite on the eastern border" of the city.1 The cost was $4,500.2 The congregation became known as the Balti- more Meeting or the Aisquith Street Meeting, and by 1793, had attained the status of a Monthly Meeting. In 1828 during a stormy session, the Orthodox Friends withdrew from the Baltimore Monthly Meeting because of disagreements with the liberal element, which then became known as "Hick- sites." This division is still observed by both groups. From as early as 1660, the Society of Friends exerted a strong influence socially, politically, and economically in Maryland. A number of influential Baltimore Quakers worshipped at the Aisquith Street Meeting House: Philip E. Thomas, first Presi- dent of the B & O Railroad; Johns Hopkins; Moses Sheppard, the philanthropist; the Ellicott family, who founded the mill town of Ellicott City, just outside Baltimore; and Isaac and Elisha Tyson, Baltimore merchants and early exponents of the anti- slavery movement. The building was abandoned in about 1921 and remained unused until 1967, when extensive restoration was undertaken through the efforts of a group of private individuals in cooperation with the city government. It is now (1970) operated by the Peale Museum which has plans for installing exhibits and opening it to the public in the very near future. The name "Old Town" Friends' Meeting has been applied to the building since the restoration, in recognition of its location in that part of the city of Baltimore which was annexed in 1745 and which now is due for rehabilitation under Urban Renewal.
National Register of Historic Places - Old Town Friends' Meeting House (Aisquith Street Meeting;Baltimore Meeting)
Statement of Significant: The Old Town Friends' Meeting House is one of Baltimore's few remaining 18th-century structures. It is the oldest religious building in the city, having been built in 1781. At that time, the Patapsco Friends' Meeting, then located in Baltimore Country, received permission from the Gunpowder Monthly Meeting to move to the eastern side of Jones Falls, at Fayette and Aisquith Streets, and to build a meeting house there. George Mathews was the contractor for the building, which was considered to be "quite on the eastern border" of the city.1 The cost was $4,500.2 The congregation became known as the Balti- more Meeting or the Aisquith Street Meeting, and by 1793, had attained the status of a Monthly Meeting. In 1828 during a stormy session, the Orthodox Friends withdrew from the Baltimore Monthly Meeting because of disagreements with the liberal element, which then became known as "Hick- sites." This division is still observed by both groups. From as early as 1660, the Society of Friends exerted a strong influence socially, politically, and economically in Maryland. A number of influential Baltimore Quakers worshipped at the Aisquith Street Meeting House: Philip E. Thomas, first Presi- dent of the B & O Railroad; Johns Hopkins; Moses Sheppard, the philanthropist; the Ellicott family, who founded the mill town of Ellicott City, just outside Baltimore; and Isaac and Elisha Tyson, Baltimore merchants and early exponents of the anti- slavery movement. The building was abandoned in about 1921 and remained unused until 1967, when extensive restoration was undertaken through the efforts of a group of private individuals in cooperation with the city government. It is now (1970) operated by the Peale Museum which has plans for installing exhibits and opening it to the public in the very near future. The name "Old Town" Friends' Meeting has been applied to the building since the restoration, in recognition of its location in that part of the city of Baltimore which was annexed in 1745 and which now is due for rehabilitation under Urban Renewal.
Mar 30, 1973
Posted Date
Aug 15, 2023
Historical Record Date
Mar 30, 1973
Source Name
National Register of Historic Places
