Group working to restore historic Quaker church
Providence Meeting House – or “the Quaker Church” as it is known locally – has stood for more than 120 years at the crest of a Perryopolis hill.
The structure and grounds have fallen victim not only to the elements, but to ghost hunters, geocachers and trespassers who vandalized the stone building and surrounding cemetery.
A group dedicated to its restoration started the arduous process of preserving and protecting the history of one of the oldest historical structures in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The property was originally established in 1789 by the early pioneers of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Quakers who worked as carpenters, farmers, blacksmiths and other craftsman.
The Quaker Settlement at Providence bordered 1,300 acres owned by President George Washington. Its settlers were the primary wheat supplier for Washington’s grist mill, located just 1.5 miles from the meeting house site.
One of the first documented happenings of Providence occurred in 1785, when a group from Washington County, the “Westland Monthly Meeting” group, appointed a committee to visit friends who settled in “Little Redstone,” as it was called then.
In 1793, the original log structure was demolished and a stone structure built. Over time, the building deteriorated and, in 1895, members of the Cope family, original settlers in the area, used materials from the collapsing structure to build a smaller replica of the stone meeting house. It served as a memorial and chapel for visitors of the adjoining cemetery, where about 500 pioneers of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio and New Jersey are buried.
Progress is being made, with groups like Pittsburgh Area Artist Blacksmith Association donating their time and skill to help.
The first major work day will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., when PAABA members return, along with other community volunteers.
PAABA secretary Chris Holt said the project is a worthwhile endeavor.
“It’s just magnificent,” she said of the property.
Providence Meeting House is a nonprofit organization working to raise $30,000 for repairs.
For more information, visit their Facebook page: Providence Meeting House – Perryopolis Quaker Church.