New England Quaker Meetinghouses Past and Present (review)

Book Reviews Edited by Thomas D. Hamm NewEngland QuakerMeetinghouses Past andPresent. By Silas B. Weeks. Richmond, Ind: Friends United Press, 2001. xv + 173 pp. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, and index. Paper $18.50. Interest in the architecture of Friends meetinghouses has increased dramatically during the past decade. Several new books and the HABS project in the Delaware Valley have brought about a reassessment of almost every area in the history of Quaker architecture, as the amount of information made available in the past decade exceeds the information produced on the topic in the preceding 350 years. The new book by Silas Weeks continues the flow of material and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the evolution of Friends meetinghouse design. His introduction indicates that the project began as an interest in comparing the architecture of pastoral and unprogrammed meetinghouses but gradually expanded as he made dozens of trips, collected local histories, and investigated photograph collections. Weeks organized the information into six chapters (one for each state), composed of an introductory essay, entries for each extant Friends meetinghouse (FMH), entries for demolished FMHs, and entries on known burial grounds. Silas provides information on 138 FMHs in New England, with additional information on 75 burial grounds. Each entry includes one or more illustrations and an historical essay. The entries are arranged by township, not by their name (e.g., the East Hoosack FMH is listed under Adams MA). Weeks's work helps to fine-tune the Quaker architectural timeline. New England's FMHs appear to fall into four general eras. The Cottage Style (dominant 1700-1790) appeared in New England as early as 1700 when the Portsmouth FMH was constructed. Four other examples were constructed within a decade, and the style flourished for a century. The Quaker Style (1790-1820) was introduced at Henniker in 1790, a half century following its appearance in Pennsylvania. New England's Cottage and Quaker Style FMHs are often characterized by their gabled vestibules. New England Friends turned away from the Quaker Style much earlier than other yearly meetings. The Leeds FMH ushered in the Chapel Style (dominant 1820-1920) five decades before it became common south and west ofNew York. No more examples ofthe Quaker Style appear to have been constructed in New England following the 1 842 division, and by the Civil War half of the meetinghouses in use in Maine reflected the Chapel Book Reviews61 Style. Several ofNew England's Chapel Style FMHs have cornerpilasters attached to a frieze, providing a regional distinctive touch. Gothic versions of the type date to the 1895-1910 era, and a single example of the Akron Plan was constructed at Oak Grove, Maine. Twentieth century FMHs (1920-2000) display little architectural cohesion. Since the book's publication, people have forwarded additional information to Silas, fueling the possibility of a second edition. Silas has also been in contact with other historians ofQuaker architecture. As a result, an expanded version would undoubtedly use the emerging typology rather than using terms from residential architecture (Georgian, Cape). Whether or not a new version materializes, New England Quaker Meetinghouses is an excellent resource for Friends historians, genealogists, architectural historians, and libraries. Seth B. HinshawDowningtown, Pa. First City: Philadelphia and the Forging ofHistorical Memory. By Gary B. Nash. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. 383 pp. Illustrations, notes, index. Cloth $34.95. When Independence National Historical Park recently revealed its plans to build a new home for the Liberty Bell on the site of the slave quarters built by George Washington, Gary Nash led the charge of historians and community leaders who forced the Park Service to review and rework the interpretation of the site in order to recognize and remember Washington's slaves. Anything less, according to Nash, would be "murdering historical memory." Nash lives on the "cutting edge" of the field. He was among the first historians to challenge the old guard and their monochromatic approach to history, with its emphasis on great white Protestant males, by emphasizing the contributions oflittle-known people: African Americans, Native Americans , women, and other minority groups. His grass-roots approach, which once made him an outsider among the ivory tower establishment, has, today, made his...