The Religious Society of Friends in Yarmouth (MA)
Yarmouth Meeting, which is considered the second oldest Friends meeting in America, began when John Wing and John Dillingham of Sandwich moved to the outskirts of Yarmouth in 1657. In 1681, the first formal business meetings were held alternately every month at the homes of John Dillingham and Teague Jones. In 1714, the first Yarmouth meetinghouse was built in the east precinct of Yarmouth at Kelley’s Bay on Bass River.
With the concentration of Friends moving to the west precinct of Yarmouth, on the west side of Bass River, David Killey donated a half-acre of land to the Society on which a new meetinghouse was built in 1808 by his son Seth Killey. This meetinghouse is the oldest built in Barnstable County under the Sandwich Monthly Meeting. The old horse sheds were removed after the hurricane of 1945.
In 1909, the meeting was “laid down”, formally discontinuing its active status. A few local members continued to worship on Sundays until 1929. In 1933, a trust was established to preserve the meetinghouse and grounds by local descendants of former members of the meeting. Ralph D. Kelley was appointed Treasurer of the meeting by Annie Rose, Clerk of the Sandwich Monthly Meeting, and was responsible for maintaining the meetinghouse and grounds.
In 1954, Aaron and Dorothy Davis began to inquire about reviving the Yarmouth meeting. Meetings were first held at their house in Harwich, MA; then in 1956, the Yarmouth Meeting was officially opened under the Sandwich Monthly Meeting.
About 1960, the Davises acquired the former 1815 Yarmouth District No. 7 one room schoolhouse. It is set outside the graveyard on the southeastern corner of the property and for many years served as the Friends “First Day School” for children on Sundays. Now it is used for meetings and hospitality after Sunday meeting.
Both the meetinghouse and the schoolhouse are recognized as historic treasures and are on the National Historic Register.
Yarmouth Meeting has been active for the past seventy years. Worship is a silent meeting and is held every Sunday at 10 a.m.