The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-06-03
Historic Mount Holly
NOTES ON THE MILL STREET MEETING
HOUSE

, NOTES ON THE MILL STREET MEETIN
HOUSE
since the publication, in our issue o
April 9, of the discovery of the location
OF the second Friends meeting hous,
In Mount Holly upon land in the rea
OF Henry Rosenfeld's residence OF
Mill street, number of references tc
the building, contained in the Burling
ton and Mount Holly monthly meet
ing records, were called to our notice
Joseph Lippincott in paper on "Set
Elements of Meetings in New Jersey" "
published in The Friend some years
ago, says I'm 1852 a new meeting
house was built in a more central part
OF the town Mount Holly for an
afternoon meeting" Now this could
not have been built at the corner of
High and Garden streets, as the title
to the land there was not taken by tie
Friends until 1775. Nor could it refer
to the meeting house on WOODLAND,
which was built about1716 as in that
year the Burlington records mention
NOW there is meeting house built at
Mount Holly" In 1742 the same
records show that Bridgetown Friends
were granted authority to hold an
evening meeting in the town during
the winter. Mr.. Lippincott fails to
give his authority for the building OF
1852, and we are at liberty to choose
between his statement or the minute
in the Friends records in determining
the date OF the building of the Mill
street house.
These same records show something
OF the disposition of the building we
have under discussion. After the new
house in town was decided upon, per-
mission was asked of and obtained
from Burlington meeting to tear down
the WOODLAND house and stables, and
John Comfort, Daniel Doughty, Aaron
Smith, Samuel Shinn, Samuel Allin-
son, Peter Ellis, Edward Black and
John Hitler were appointed to take
the title in trust, and ARE left at liber
ty to use the materials of the old
house and stable as they may think
best" The trustees thereupon demol-
ished the building. The reason that
similar action was not taken in the
case of the Mill street house, is proba-
bly, because it was built of wood and
very small. That it was abandoned as
a meeting house is shown by the min
ute of 9Th, 3D., 1776, as follows:-"A
Friend from Mount Holly informed
the meeting that a lot of ground on
which the little meeting house in
Mount Holly stands is now rendered
unnecessary for that use by their late
purchase of another lot on which they
have built new meeting house and
they request the liberty of this meet
ing to dispose of said small house and
lot that they may apply the consider
alton money towards the new pur-
chased lot and building. Daniel
Smith, William Dillwyn, Samuel AL
linson, John Bispham, and Aaron
Smith, are therefore appointed to meet,
peruse the title deeds, and give such
advice to the surviving grantees as
they may think best and report to
next meeting"
First day, fourth month, 1776, the
report was made and the minutes read:
The committee appointed to peruse the
title for the lot of ground on which
the little meeting house in Mount
Holly stands and give such advice to
the surviving grantees as might be
thought best now reported in writing,
as follows, to wit: We, the committee,
appointed to peruse the title deed for
the ground on which the little meeting
house in Mount Holly stands, and
give such advice to the surviving
grantees as may be thought best, do
report that we met agreeable to our ap-
pointment and inspected the deed, and
were unanimously of opinion that the
surviving grantees may have liberty to
convey the same to purchaser for
valuable consideration to be applied to
the use of Friends of that meeting
towards paying for the lot and new
meeting house erected thereon in that
place which we submit to the monthly
meeting Daniel Smith, Samuel AL
linson, Aaron Smith and William Dill
wyn, which being considered is con-
Cured in"
Purchasers were scarce, for in 1878,
Mount Holly minutes have an entry
as follows: One of the Friends who
had the old meeting house under care
reported that they had met, and that
it seemed to them that for the present
the house should remain as it now is,
excepting that the door and windows
might be done up with rough boards,
to which the meeting consented, and
that the same Friends before appointed
be continued and see that done"
Here the Friends records about our
building apparently cease. The deeds
for the property are neither In Mount
Holly nor in the vaults of the Friends
record room in Philadelphia, where
many OF the local deeds are kept.
The name of its purchaser and the
date of its passing from the hands OF
the Friends, remain as yet unknown.
DIR. Read had no knowledge of its use
by the Friends, for he does not men
ton that fact, but speaks of the build
ing as the home of Stacy Antrim, and
later kept as school by a Mr.. Bart
lett and William Mann.
Along the Shore.
Jonathan Parker was follnd puiltv