Friends of Arch Street 
Newsletter

Welcome to the Arch Street Meeting House Newsletter for May 2022!

We are thrilled to announce that the new outdoor exhibits will be installed on the grounds of Arch Street Meeting House within the next couple of weeks! To celebrate the installation, we are inviting all of our friends and supporters to explore the new exhibits on Friday, May 27th, and meet Quaker history.  

A night for the whole family, attendees can engage with new stories in the exhibits, enjoy complimentary refreshments, win a raflle prize, and meet historical interpreters Lucretia Mott, Francis Watkins Harper, Elizabeth Drinker, and Samuel Nicholas.
 

On Saturday, May 28th, Philly Typewriter will be filling the East Room with typewriters as we explore the Quaker habit of taking minutes. Come learn about typewriters and how their technology was such an improvement over handwritten notes!
 

Recognized as a Millennial Landmark Tree in 2000, the Mighty Salem Oak stood for 600 years within the Salem Friends Burial Ground in Salem, New Jersey.

Salem County was founded by Quaker Englishmen John Fenwick in 1675, and the Mighty Salem Oak is believed to the be tree under which Fenwick signed a treaty with the Lenni Lenape, or Delaware, people. By planting the offspring of the Mighty Salem Oak on our historic grounds, Arch Street Meeting House can continue sharing the tree's legendary tale.

The land on which the meeting house sits is within the Lenape or Delaware Homeland. As such, the Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust (ASMHPT), which operates the meeting house and grounds as a historic site on behalf of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, acknowledges this fact and will, to the best of its ability, share this story with visitors to the site.

On Friday, April 1st, Arch Street Meeting House hosted Matt Murphy from Eastern State Penitentiary for an evening program! Matt's presentation discussed the many connections between Quakers, prisons, and Eastern State Penitentiary. A recording of this presentation is now available for viewing.

The Arch Street Meeting House staff is working hard to update our volunteer program as we ramp up for a busy 2022 season! Our incredible volunteers are essential to the success of the museum and help provide visitors with a deeper look into both Arch Street Meeting House's history and the ongoing impact of Quakerism across the globe
 

Will you continue to support us with a contribution, and help prepare Arch Street Meeting House for a successful 2022?
 

Make checks payable to:
Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust, 320 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA 19106
Or donate via the website www.historicasmh.org/donate

All donations are tax-deductible up to the fullest extent of the law.