The Arch Street Meeting House is an old heritage building, built in the memory of all those people who formed Pennsylvania as a “Holy Experiment”. This is one of the oldest and the largest Friends Meeting House not only in Philadelphia, but also in the whole world. Yearly meetings and the business meets of groups like the Religious Society of Friends for Philadelphia and Environs were regularly held in this building.
The master carpenter Owen Biddle built the Arch Street Meeting House at Philadelphia. The plain and simple architecture of the building is appealing. The Friends did not adhere by the ornate classical styles, which were in vogue, but rather stressed on plainness and simplicity.
This served as the meeting house for the Quakers, who previously met in private houses for their prayers. The Society of Friends, popularly known, as Quakers were a group of people who were followers of the teachings of George Fox in England. Their prayer methods were very different. They did not adhere to any written creed, fixed tenets or beliefs. They believed that every individual had God inside them. These meetings were a means of worship.
Visitors can actually visualize the plain and simple practices of the Quakers, on entering the building. The entrance of the meetinghouse was decorated with a horse trough, presented and built by the Philadelphia Fountain Society. With no architectural frills the large square meeting room is filled with rows of wooden
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pews, all facing the center. The floor is made of unvarnished wood, and the plain windows letting in the mellow sun. Doric columns were constructed to support the balcony.
Built in 1804, the Arch Street Meeting House was expanded in 1811with the construction of the additional West Wing. The building of Arch Street Meeting House has an entrance hall and three different sections. There are two separate staircases leading to the balcony. The boys and girls used separate staircases. Monthly meetings and special events were held in the middle section of the Arch Street Meeting House.
The East Wing in Arch Street Meeting House is totally dedicated to William Penn, who was a renowned Quaker. Pictures and photographs depicting important events of William Penn's life are showcased here. Visitors should not miss the dollhouse display representing the home of Elizabeth Drinker and her husband. She was a noted journal keeper of the Quakers.
In accordance to a patent issued and signed by William Penn in 1701, the meetinghouse and the ground were also used as a burial ground. Many eminent Quakers who died during the yellow fever epidemic were buried here. Quaker Samuel Nicholas and famous dignitaries like Charles Brockden Brown were buried here.
For the tourists the visiting hours of Arch Street Meeting House is from 10 am to 4 pm. Twice a week worship meetings are held, in which the visitors can participate.
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