SPRING 2009
Actually, it’s thought that this may be the Beesley’s Point meeting house, which was one of the meeting houses that belonged to the Great Egg Harbor-Cape May monthly meeting, a Friends meeting in the Seaville area that was laid down long ago. That meeting house was constructed in 1729 and the new meeting house, the one in which Seaville Friends now meet, was built in 1764. It has sometimes been supposed that the new meeting house is simply the old one moved to a new site, but old minutes show that both houses were in existence at the same time, the new one being used as the only meeting house from mid-October to mid-March. The rest of year the buildings were used alternately.
Until recently, no one knew what had become of the old meeting house. Most thought it had been torn down. But Seaville was recently offered ownership of this old building by its current owner. The building was researched by an historical researcher and that person believes it may well be the old meeting house, which had been purchased and moved to another site and used for a variety of purposes over the ensuing years, including an antique shop.
The building is in a state of serious disrepair and Seaville Friends are unable to pay for its restoration or removal to their current property, which is the desire of the current owner.
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Last modified:
Sunday, March 01, 2009 at 12:13 AM
