Third Haven Friends Meeting Trustees
2022 Annual Report
Priscilla Sener, Trustees of Third Haven Monthly Meeting
Seventy-five years ago, the members of our meeting incorporated a new entity called The Trustees of Third Haven Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends, Incorporated. Our monthly meeting subsequently deeded the real property of Third Haven to the new nonprofit corporation in November, 1949. One factor that influenced their decision was the possibility that the monthly meeting might have to be “laid down,” in which case our meetinghouses and burial grounds would be transferred to Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Third Haven members considered local ownership and stewardship essential to the continued survival of these historically significant treasures.
Funding for the Trustees has come from donations, legacy gifts and from the growth of investments which could be characterized as an endowment. The Trustees support capital projects, large and small. In the 1980’s, construction of the Common Room was partially funded by the Trustees, and in the 1990’s a major restoration of the Old Meeting House was supported by nearly $450,000 of Trustee Funds.
Since 2021, under the leadership of Bill Lane, the Trustees have been working on another major round of repairs necessitated by the chronic issues of rising damp. Architectural Historian Carl Lounsbury surveyed Friends’ records and reports that the need for moisture mitigation has recurred on average every thirty years beginning in 1698. Technologies improve. The current round is aided by laser scans, dendrochronology, and continuous digital moisture readings. To date, the trustees have spent $88,000 on the project. An additional $142,000 is needed to complete the work. We have received contingent approval from the Maryland Historical Trust easement committee and we project completion in 9-12 months.
Current Trustees are Larny Claggett, Marsie Hawkinson, Bill Lane, Marie Leonard, Allan Mielke, Dee Rein, and Priscilla Sener. We continue to mourn the loss of past president Adrienne Rudge. We are guided by her clear and kindhearted ability to get to the heart of matters.
Quoting from Adrienne’s 2022 report to Meeting for Business:
"I urge all members and attenders to support the preservation work of the Trustees of Third Haven Monthly Meeting by making an outright gift or by designating a legacy gift in their estate plans.”
This report is given for the information of the Meeting each year and requires no action.