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A Somerset preservation group recently secured its largest grant yet as restoration efforts continue at the state’s oldest surviving Quaker meeting house.

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The Swansea Friends Meeting House in Somerset has landed on a national list of “most endangered historic places,” bringing renewed attention — and new funding — to ongoing efforts to preserve the centuries-old landmark.

On May 20, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the Meeting House one of the 11 most endangered historic sites in the United States amid the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary. 

Built between 1701 and 1702, the Swansea Friends Meeting House is recognized as the oldest surviving Quaker meeting house in Massachusetts. The site reflects the history of early Quaker settlers who sought religious freedom and safety in colonial New England. 

After the congregation dwindled to four members in 2008, ownership of the building was transferred to the Town of Somerset. With the structure no longer in regular use and closed to the public for more than a decade, deterioration began to take its toll, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

In 2018, Somerset residents formed the Friends of Somerset Historic Preservation (FOSHP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the property. 

Since then, the group has secured grants and undertaken restoration projects aimed at stabilizing both the exterior and interior of the building, according to FOSHP Chair Richard Peirce. 

“The Friends of Somerset Historic Preservation are working to preserve the structure and the history of the people who built it,” former FOSHP Chair Mary Ann McDonald wrote in an essay about the site. “They were the founders of Somerset, and they left us a past that gives us pride of place. We honor the past by preserving it for the future.”

According to FOSHP Treasurer John Larsen, preservation efforts slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic despite earlier support from organizations, such as the Hathaway Family Foundation. 

However, momentum returned last spring when FOSHP received grants from the Taunton River Watershed Alliance and Massachusetts Historical Commission, allowing the organization to begin the first phase of exterior restoration work, Larsen said

The Massachusetts Historical Commission grant, totaling $80,000, funded repairs to the building’s windows and doors. That phase is expected to be completed by the end of June, according to Peirce. 

Last week, the organization received its largest grant to date — approximately $184,300 from the Mass Cultural Council, Peirce said. 

Larsen said the funding will support the remaining phases of the exterior restoration, including repairs to the facade and foundation, along with site improvements surrounding the building. 

Why preserve the Meeting House? 

FOSHP leaders say the importance of the Meeting House extends beyond architecture and local history. The site also played a role in early abolitionist movements through figures such as Patience Brayton, a Rhode Island Quaker and outspoken anti-slavery advocate. 

Slavery existed in Somerset as early as 1680, but Brayton believed slavery was “incompatible with the teachings of her faith,” McDonald wrote in her essay. After marrying a Somerset farmer, she freed the enslaved people working on her husband’s property and later embarked on a yearlong journey in 1771 across the American colonies to speak out against slavery.

“The building stands for religious freedom, equality of the sexes, and — very early on — abolition of slavery,” Peirce said.

What happens after restoration? 

Once exterior and interior restoration work is complete, organizers hope to transform the Meeting House into a community cultural center. Larsen said they are planning to form a group to discuss the possibilities of the Meeting House. 

“We want to make the building a vibrant part of the community once again,” he added. 

Peirce said the restored Meeting House could host community events like concerts, lectures, and art programming, while still honoring the site’s historical significance. 

“I don’t see the building being open without a nod to the history of the building and the area,” Larsen added. 

Peirce said that recent grants and national recognition have strengthened his confidence in completing the project. 

“We’re looking forward to turning our attention to the interior and getting the building open as quickly as possible,” he said. 

Why Save the Meeting House by John Waller