Canadian Friends Historical Association

Tag: Meetinghouse

  • Elma Starr in 1974

    This photo of Elma Starr, taken 29 June 1974 by Keith Beaty for the Toronto Star, shows Elma in front of the Yonge Street meeting house. The photo was taken in anticipation of the 1810 meeting house getting central heating, electric lights, and running water. In the photo, Elma is holding Dylan Horvath in her arms, and Jennifer Horvath is on the left.

    “The 1810 Quaker meeting hall in Newmarket…” by Keith Beaty, 1974. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library.

    Elma McGrew Starr (1890-1985) was a well-known member of the Canadian Yearly Meeting. You can read more about Elma’s life in an article written by David Newlands in our Founders and Builders series, and in Elma’s autobiography, Contented.

    More information on the updates and work done on the meeting house in 1974 can be found in Jane Zavitz Bond’s article, “The Quakers of Yonge Street: Address to the 24th Annual Meeting,” CQHJ 60 (1996): 24-34.

     

  • Uxbridge Quaker Meeting House Annual Service Online

    Uxbridge Quaker Meeting House Annual Service Online

    Every June 13th, the Uxbridge Quaker Meeting House hosts an annual service. This year, on its 212th anniversary service (and 201st anniversary of the meeting house), Chair Rob Croxall and several committee friends worked to provide an online service that can be viewed via YouTube.

    Built in 1820 on Quaker Hill to replace the former log meeting house, the current Uxbridge Quaker Meeting House is the oldest building in Uxbridge Township, Ontario.

    To read more about Uxbridge heritage, you can find Allan McGillivray’s talk on Uxbridge Friends from CFHA’s 2004 annual meeting here. If you’re interested in reading about how CFHA co-founder Kathleen Hertzberg became involved with the Uxbridge Meeting House, her 2004 account can be found here.

    Photo of the Uxbridge Meeting House, May 2019. Photo courtesy of the Uxbridge Quaker Meeting House Facebook page.