Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery
About this property
The Swansea Friends Meeting House and Cemetery, at 223 Prospect Street in Somerset, Massachusetts, are a pair of religious properties believed to include the oldest extant Quaker meetinghouse in the state, with the oldest surviving meetinghouse form in which the pulpit and entrance face each other across the building's short dimension (instead of the 19th century form, where they stand at opposite ends of the long dimension). The oldest portion of the building dates to 1702, when Somerset was part of Swansea. Originally only 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, the building was significantly enlarged in 1746, adding side bays and a second floor gallery. In the 19th century the balconies were closed off to provide office space. The cemetery adjacent to the meetinghouse is also believed to be of great age; its oldest dated marker is 1831, but 18th century Quaker practice did not generally include the laying of markers, so there are likely a number of unmarked early graves. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. In 2026, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the building, which has been closed for several years in need of rehabilitation, on their annual "America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places."
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery
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Questions about this property
When was Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery listed on the National Register?
Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 2014.
What type of historic resource is Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery?
Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery?
The period of significance for Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Swansea Friends Meetinghouse and Cemetery will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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