Southern Quarterly Meeting Report, June 18, 2023
Summary of Southern Quarter Gathering
Southern Quarter gathered at the invitation of Chester River Meeting, at Friendship Hall, located at 2599 Lambs Meadow Road, Worton, Md, on 18 June 2023, the home of Mike Pugh and John Schratwieser. Twenty-six friends were present representing Chester River, Camden, Lewes, Third Haven and Wicomico River Meetings and Worship Group. Thank you to Nina Flegel and Bob Denison of Chester River for hosting sixth month Southern Quarter.
We were welcomed into a 1782 Quaker Farm House and gathered in the morning day room for silent worship. We had one offering and then introduced ourselves at the close of worship.
After a brief break we were introduced to Mike Pugh who provided an informed conversation about Delaware Valley Quakers who migrated into the Kent County area from the later 1600's, their relationship with the Native Americans and what life was like, as farmers. Mike described a Quaker Community in the area that included generations of Quaker families including the Lamb's and the Lynch's. Mike described the industry of the families in the manner in which they carved out their livelihoods; the making of brick to build their homes, the structure of their homes and the purposeful simplicity of the interior design to accommodate work and quarters for the families. Several structures were built and rebuilt. Few survive today. Friendship hall was built by Daniel Lamb in 1782 as evidence with a date brick found in a brick scrap area when the house was restored in the 1980's by the LaMott family. The original house was made of Flemish bond brick as a one room deep, south facing, 4 room structure with attic loft and ladder steps. Mike described the honesty of the house and we could all relate.
Mike then shared his background and recent work as an artist in ceramics and pottery, having trained with a master potter in North Carolina. He proceeded to describe his journey as an artist in Chestertown and the work he created at the invitation of the Kent Cultural Alliance that resulted in a sculpture about John Lambs Bowers who was tarred and feathered on June 23, 1858, for helping slaves to escape. The story was one most of us were not familiar with and struck a never for what life on the Eastern Shore pre–Civil War must have been like for Quakers who were convinced slavery was evil and the courage of those convictions. The sculpture is monumental and there are plans to have it exhibited with a permanent installation in the future.
We then enjoyed a lunch banquet, beautifully prepared by the Happy Chicken on plates made by Mike in the manner of those used by the Lamb family in the colonial time. Those in attendance were then invited to walk to the Cecil Burial ground and appreciate with work of Chester River Meeting in keeping the marked graves.
This concluded the business of our Southern Quarter meeting sixth month, 18, 2023.