East
Blackstone Quaker Meeting House
Blackstone,
Massachusetts
About Us
Leadership
President Ellery Wood pres@blackstonequakermeetinghouse.org Vice President Jonathan Steele vp@blackstonequakermeetinghouse.org Secretary Gretchen Greene sec@blackstonequakermeetinghouse.org Treasurer Beverley Kelly Ryan bev@blackstonequakermeetinghouse.org House and Grounds Ann Durham
Board of Directors
Ann Durham Audrey Wood Frechette Gretchen Greene Peter Gulaiev Beverley Kelly Ryan Jonathan Steele
Ellery Wood General Info info@blackstonequakermeetinghouse.org In 1799, Samuel Smith gave this piece of land to a group of Quaker settlers for purposes of establishing a local cemetery and Meeting House. Upon conveyance of the land, Seth Kelly was the first to be buried on the grounds in 1799. Thirteen years later, in 1812, this Meeting House was built at a cost of $525. Prior to that time, local Quakers traveled to the central village of Mendon, MA to attend meetings. In 1841, when the Mendon Meeting was "laid down" many joined the Meeting in East Blackstone. Meetings were held regularly until the late 1800's, and sporadically thereafter. The East Blackstone Meeting was "laid down" in the early 1930's.
During the summer of 1954, Mrs. Mary Kelly encouraged a group of East Blackstone residents, whose families had past affiliations with the Meeting House, to begin holding services here once again. The group requested that the Smithfield (RI) Monthly Meeting, the owners of the property, grant them permission to use the old landmark for religious service to the community in exchange for proper repair and upkeep. That request was granted and the work of the East Blackstone Quaker Meeting House Association began. Under that arrangement, a program of preservation continues today.
By the 1990's, the Blackstone Historical Commission was very active and began archiving the Town of Blackstone. Thereafter, the Commission determined that three individual entities were worthy of submission for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. How pleased our Association was when this status was bestowed upon this Meeting House on August 22, 1995.
East
Blackstone Quaker Meeting House & Cemetery Historical Association,
Inc.
197 Elm Street
Blackstone, MA 01504
e-mail: info@blackstonequakermeetinghouse.org
March 4, 2023