Old Quaker Meetinghouse
137-16 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354
The lingering Old Quaker Meetinghouse stands as the oldest structure in Queens, the oldest house of worship in New York State, and the second oldest meetinghouse in the whole nation. Built in 1694 by John Bowne, John Farington, and other hired Quakers, it served as an establishment of the Quakers, a safe haven for both Quakers and non-Quakers, and as the first school for children of many backgrounds in early Flushing. The meetinghouse expanded in 1717 to foster business meetings that can improve the state of the worship meetings.
Today, it still provides services and meetings for those who follow Quakerism. Everybody is welcome to enter the meetinghouse during the afternoons of Sundays, when worship meetings occur.
Bowne House
37-01 Bowne St, Flushing, NY 11354
(source)
The Bowne House is the oldest structure in Flushing, built in 1661 by John Bowne and his family. It serves not only as the residency of the Bownes, but also as a place that held secret meetings for the Quakers during Peter Stuyvesant’s reign. Like the Quaker Meetinghouse, it also underwent renovations, starting from a small room and expanding to more rooms and an additional floor, and it is currently undergoing more renovations for preservation.
The house was lived by nine generation of Bownes, and it was lived by the Parson family until the 1940s, when Hannah and Beth Parson donated the house as a museum to the Bowne House Historical Society. Later in 2009, the house was given ownership to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, but it remained under the operation of the Society. Students of grades ranging from elementary school to college may visit the Bowne House, even if archaeologists are currently researching the innards and the architecture.
Flushing — Then, and Now
(source)
Flushing is the name branded to the crowded area replete of various ethnicities, spoken tongues, and businesses. Such characteristics of Flushing were encoded in the establishment of the Quakers and in the Flushing Remonstrance.
In the past, orchards and farms thrived in the rural area. Today, apartment buildings, stores, and restaurants stand in the surrounding areas of the Old Quaker Meetinghouse and the Bowne House. The early twentieth century saw the World Wars and the expansion of the subway, the 7 Train to Flushing, which had exacerbated the upbringing of these buildings and the liveliness of the community.
By Jordan Bellis, Jamie Fung, and Anna Tao.
Tim Mullen
8 December 2023
Dear Friends:
I hope all are well and enjoying the Holiday Season and the unofficial, “meteorological” start of Winter of Dec. 1st.
The original Dutch name for Flushing was Vlissingen, New Netherlands. I see there is a Vlissingen place name in the Netherlands/Holland.
It is nice to see photos of the Friends’ Meetinghouse and the Bowne House, which I have not visited since after 9/11/2001. I remember visiting the new public library, which already seemed too small. Has the school building across from the meetinghouse been improved?I’m glad to know meetings for worship are still taking place. I did not know Friends’ meetings were first held in John Bowne’s home.
The reason for my interest in both building and their history is that I may be a descendant through my paternal grandmother of Edward Griffine who was a cosigner of the Flushing Remonstrance, forerunner of the Bill of Rights in general and the First Amendment in specific.
Best Wishes For A
Blessed Christmas Season
Sincerely,
Tim Mullen
Timothy J. Mullen
Martin
I wonder who approved of the large Black Lives Matter poster to be displayed in front of the Old Quaker Meeting House in Flushing.