INTRODUCTION: This website outlines the place, the people and the activities of the Third Haven Meeting of the Society of Friends. Much of the website is open for perusal, but the Members & Attenders portion is password protected. We welcome all to visit and worship with us. Please read the following brief statement of our clerk about Quakerism and the Third Haven Meeting on this Welcome page.
405 South Washington Street Easton MD, 21601
Ann Rouse - Clerk - 410.822.0293 - info@thirdhaven.org
We, who have been called Seekers of the Truth, Quakers and Friends, are members
of the Religious Society of Friends. We are a close knit religious community,
but we do not separate ourselves from the world about us.
We believe God is present in every person and that peace is preferable
to war. We gather in silent communal worship to wait on the Spirit of
God.
We have no formal creed, no ritual, dogma nor liturgy. Instead, to
help us follow Divine guidance we pose, both individually and corporately,
searching queries; we strive in love, rather than react to fear; we work
towards peace because we believe it is the only way; we are led to
implement our concerns for the equal rights of all. Many of us have been
drawn to this religion – Quakerism – because of its dual
commitment to Spiritual awareness and social action.
These beliefs are not always easy to hold nor honor with action, but our
search has led us to commit ourselves to them.
Perhaps this approach of Friends could be helpful and meaningful to you.
We invite you to accept our invitation to search with us at this and any
other meeting house or place. If you wish, please come to join with us
for worship 10:00 AM on Sundays and 5:30 PM on Wednesday evenings. Your
children are also welcome either at Meeting for Worship or First Day School.
Our History
In the year 1682, three acres of land were purchased from John Edmondson,
and the erection of this Meeting house was begun. Two years were consumed
in its construction, as the timbers had to be hewn with a broadax and
finished with such tools as were used in that day. Among the builders was
William Southeby, said to be the first native American to write against
slavery.
In 1797 the building was made wider by extending the rafters only on one side
of the ridgepole. The gable or porch entrance of late date. The original
approach was at the side shown in the photograph above. It is the oldest
documented building in the state.
George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), visited
this vicinity in 1673, and upon his return to England sent a number of books
to this Meeting. This was the beginning of the Meeting's library, often
said to be the earliest public library in Talbot County and probably in the
province (being established long before the Bishop of London, through Commissary
Bray, introduced parochial libraries in this province).
The first meeting held in this building was in the fall of 1684. In 1693
Betty's Cove Meeting (1660-1693) was transferred to this Meeting house. Over
the years many notable Quakers have worshipped in this building: William Penn,
John Woolman, John Fothergill, Samuel Bownas, Rufus Jones, and many more.
Continuous records of the business transaction of this Meeting have been kept
since 1676 to the present time, and they are of such value that the Meeting
has placed them on deposit at the Hall of Records, Annapolis, Md.
The brick building used in winter months was built in 1880.
Quoting in part a few of the closing lines in Dr. Kenneth Carroll's book,
Quakerism on the Eastern Shore:
‘ A non-violent and peaceful approach to the solution of social problems
has been the policy of the Society of Friends throughout its long history.
Third Haven Friends are well aware of the past…at the same time however
they are increasingly aware of the fact that Christianity as interpreted by Quakerism
is a living religion based upon personal experience.’
Welcome!
You are cordially invited to attend a meeting for worship any Sunday morning
at 10:00 A.M. or Wednesday evening at 5:30 P.M.