Arch Street Friends Meeting House
4th & Arch Streets

In 1693, the land upon which the Arch Street Meeting House sits today was set aside by William Penn, an English Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania as a burying ground for members. 100 years later a series of yellow fever epidemics made mass burial at the location necessary. In 1804, the present building was constructed over the graves to house the annual gatherings of Quakers in the Philadelphia area. The impetus came from Quaker women who lobbied for a structure that would provide equal meeting space for women's and men's gathering for business. The result was two large meeting rooms of identical size and facilities, forming together the world's largest Quaker meeting house.