Woodlawn Quaker Meetinghouse
Encyclopedia
The Woodlawn Quaker Meetinghouse is located at 8890 Woodlawn Road in Fort Belvoir, Virginia
, United States
. The meetinghouse and its associated cemetery are significant for their role in the Quaker community in this area of Virginia in the mid to late 19th century. The meetinghouse itself is also significant for its Quaker Plain Style architecture. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 21, 2009 and the listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
's weekly list of May 29, 2009.
The original meetinghouse, now the southern half, was built in 1853. The northern half was added between 1866 and 1869. Both halves are wood frame, one story, gable roofed structures. The style reflects the Quaker belief in simplicity and lack of adornment. The rectangular building faces east, with two entrances on the long side of the rectangle. One entrance was for women, and one for men. On the interior, there is a center wall with window-like opening. The openings can be shuttered to accommodate separate meetings for men and women. The seating is historic, simple, wooden benches. The porch that currently wraps around the building was added at a later time. Union soldiers occupied the building during the American Civil War
, and carved their names and initials to the right of what was then the only entryway.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The meetinghouse and its associated cemetery are significant for their role in the Quaker community in this area of Virginia in the mid to late 19th century. The meetinghouse itself is also significant for its Quaker Plain Style architecture. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 21, 2009 and the listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's weekly list of May 29, 2009.
The original meetinghouse, now the southern half, was built in 1853. The northern half was added between 1866 and 1869. Both halves are wood frame, one story, gable roofed structures. The style reflects the Quaker belief in simplicity and lack of adornment. The rectangular building faces east, with two entrances on the long side of the rectangle. One entrance was for women, and one for men. On the interior, there is a center wall with window-like opening. The openings can be shuttered to accommodate separate meetings for men and women. The seating is historic, simple, wooden benches. The porch that currently wraps around the building was added at a later time. Union soldiers occupied the building during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and carved their names and initials to the right of what was then the only entryway.