Interpretative Tours at Arch Street Meeting House

Our historic meeting rooms are located on the ground floor and are still in active use for Quaker gatherings and for worship. We welcome individuals, families, and groups as honored guests.

THE WEST ROOM

This is no tomb of yester-year,
Museum, or vault of vanity.
Timbers and stones and lattices,
Light filtering through the tranquil air,
Are steeped in speaking silences,
Or echo to the voice of prayer.

Frederick J. Nicholson, 1975

Step into this meeting room and take a seat on original benches. One of our guides will engage you on some of the following topics:

• The architecture and history of the building
• The grounds – the yellow fever epidemic in the 1790’s and the Quaker response
• What Friends (Quakers) believe – our spiritual message
• Quaker worship – unprogrammed and programmed
• Quaker decision making process – seeking consensus
• George Fox and the founding of Quakerism
• William Penn
  • The Holy Experiment and its influence on the Bill of Rights and our civil liberties
  • Friendship and equal justice for the people of the First Nations – Leni Lenape
  • Education as a salvation for the young
  • Internationalism – an alternative to war
• Remembrances of Wm Penn:  the Liberty Bell, City Hall statue, his "Green Countrie Towne"
• The Founding Fathers and what they owed Penn and Pennsylvania:  Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin
• Colonial Philadelphia under Quaker influence
  • Religious and ethnic diversity – a city of churches/synagogues, Old City Congregations
  • The center of population, business, industry, commerce, tolerance, and science
• Quakers and the Native Americans
• Quakers and African Americans (slavery, emancipation, Underground Railroad, education)
• Quakers and Women’s Rights – Seneca Falls, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul
• Quaker organizations today – American Friends Service Committee, Quaker Information Center, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends World Committee for Consultation
• Quaker SPICES
  • Simplicity – spirit-led restraint
    
  • Peace – peacemaking at home and abroad
    
  • Integrity – consistency in word and deed
    
  • Community – Quakers in the U.S. and around the world, the Wider Quaker fellowship
    
  • Equality – social justice
    
  • Stewardship/Service – care for the earth and its people

THE EAST ROOM

You are welcome to enjoy the exhibits and audio-visual presentations at your leisure.

Permanent Displays: (selected items)

William Penn dioramas
Early Quaker artifacts
Needle work panels on the ABC’s of Quakerism
1844 Quaker Quilt

Temporary Exhibits: (presented by the Exhibit Working Group, some highlights)

Photographic display on Peace Villages in South America (collaboration with AFSC)
Quakers and the Political Process, Living our Faith into Action
The Architecture of Historic Friends Meetinghouses
Quaker tapestries

Audio-Visual: (coming soon)

William Penn & Pennsylvania – Colonial Life series for Children, includes considerable footage of the Arch Street Meeting House
William Penn: the Challenging Vision – narrated by Edmond Bacon
Videos related to special events or exhibits

OUR STORE:

We offer over 100 books for adults and children and numerous pamphlets on Quakerism. We also have gift items: T-shirts, sweat shirts, buttons, magnets, book marks, posters and postcards.

PLANNING YOUR VISIT:

• We are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• We welcome individuals, families, and groups of all ages and sizes.
• Reservation recommended for groups and school classes. Teachers, please let us know your specific interests and schedule ö we will plan an experience to suit your needs.

Our program is made possible by your donations.   Thank you for your generosity.

Interpretation and Outreach Program of PYM celebrated the ideals that shaped William Penn's Holy Experiment

More PYM Events Here