VA-L20 Quaker Meeting House

Marker text: QUAKER MEETING HOUSE

In the mid-18th century, members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) settled in the Lynchburg area, initially worshiping in one another's houses. According to local tradition, the first meetinghouse was constructed here of logs in 1757 and enlarged in 1763. In 1768 it burned and the next year a frame church was built. It stood until 1792, when construction began on a stone meetinghouse completed in 1798. It deteriorated after 1835 as many Quakers, who opposed slavery, emigrated from Lynchburg and Virginia to free states. The meetinghouse was restored in the 20th century as the Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church, John Lynch, the founder of Lynchburg, and his mother, Sarah Lynch, are buried in the adjacent cemetery.

Department of Historic Resources, 1994