What is now Providence Friends Meeting began as Quaker meetings for worship in Upper and Lower Providence Townships, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Often these meetings were at the home of Thomas Minshall as early as 1682. Minshall and his family were immigrants from Britain. They purchased the land from William Penn. The land for the Meeting House and the Graveyard were donated by Thomas Minshall's sons. A log cabin meeting house was built in 1700 on what is now the front lawn.
In 1809 a small stone school house was built on the edge of the lot behind the meeting house. The construction of a small underground space was included in the original design.
The first stone meetinghouse was built in 1814 and includes the stones from an addition that had been added to the original log cabin meeting house.
In 1931 the meeting house was connected to the school house with a social room. A kitchen and classrooms were added on the back in the 1950's.
"Red Ink" photo, series by same photographer named for red ink used for writing descriptions on reverse side of similarly-mounted images. This scene is on Crum Creek, near Beatty Road. Address is approximate. This photo was entered in The John Wanamaker Exhibition of Photographs by Amateurs, February 1908.
Caption on reverse says "Atmore Smith," who may be driving the horse-drawn hearse. According to his obituary in the Chester Times, June 9, 1934, page 8: "S. Atmore smith "was associated for 43 years with the Quinby undertaking establishment. He was especially beloved by the veterans...for his tireless work in keeping veterans' graves orderly and proper." He was a Civil War veteran, and 66 when he died.
