CAR-36 the Neck Meeting House and Yard, (Quaker Meeting House and Graveyard)

CAR-36 The Neck Meeting House and Yard, (Quaker Meeting House and Graveyard) Architectural Survey File This is the architectural survey file for this MIHP record. The survey file is organized reverse- chronological (that is, with the latest material on top). It contains all MIHP inventory forms, National Register nomination forms, determinations of eligibility (DOE) forms, and accompanying documentation such as photographs and maps. Users should be aware that additional undigitized material about this property may be found in on-site architectural reports, copies of HABS/HAER or other documentation, drawings, and the “vertical files” at the MHT Library in Crownsville. The vertical files may include newspaper clippings, field notes, draft versions of forms and architectural reports, photographs, maps, and drawings. Researchers who need a thorough understanding of this property should plan to visit the MHT Library as part of their research project; look at the MHT web site (mht.maryland.gov) for details about how to make an appointment. All material is property of the Maryland Historical Trust. Last Updated: 04-09-2003 CAR- 36 Neck Meeting House 1802 Denton Private Standing in a small grove of trees in West Denton is the Neck Meeting House built by the local Quakers in 1802. The building measures 20 ' x 30 ' and stands upon brick piers. Its exterior has been largely renewed, but the interior retains original sheathing and some benches. The land was deeded by William Wilson to the Trustees of the Meeting. On September 26, 1802, the first meeting was held in the building. It was later used as a school around 1856 . Neck Meeting was abandoned in 1890 for lack of funds and participants. Between that time and 1949, it was owned and partially maintained by interested families with Neck Meeting associations . Choptank Electric Coopera tive owns the land today and maintains the National Register Site. Survey No . CAR-36 Maryland Historical Trust Magi No. 0600362310 State Historic Sites Inventory Form DOE __yes no 1. Name {i ndicate pref erred name} historic NECK QUAKER MEETING HOU SE and/or common 2. Location street & number Maryland Ro u te 404 f. Marylan d Route 328 _ not for publication city, town Denton ~ vicinity of congressional district One state Maryland county Caro l ine 3. Classification C•tegory Ownership Status Present Use _district __ public _ occupied _ agriculture _ museum ~ buildlng(s) ~ private ..x._ unoccupied _ commercial __ park _ structure _ both _ work in progress _ educational _ private residence _ site Public Acquisition Accessible _ entertainment _ religious _ object _ in process ~ yes : restricted _ government _ scientific _ being considered _ yes: unrestricted _ jndlJStrial _ transportation ~not applicable · _ ' no'·: · · · _ milita,Y . _x_ other: not in use 4. Owner of Properiy (gi~e names and mailing addresses of ill. owners) name Delmarva Power Company street.& nu!Tlber tel ephone. no,- : city, town Denton state and zip code Maryland 5. Location of Legal Description courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Caroline County Courthouse liber street & number Courthouse Square folio city, town Denton state Maryland &. Representation in Existing Hi storical sur ve ys title __date _ federal _state _ county _ local .lepOsltory for survey records city, town state 7. Description Survey No. CAR - 36 Condition Check one Check one __ excellent __ deteriorated ~ unaltered _2f. original site _good _ _ ruins __ altered __ moved date of move _x fair __ unexposed Prepare both a summary paragraph and a general description of the resource and its various elements as it exists today. The Neck Quaker Meeting House is located on the north side of Maryland Route 404 approximately ~ mile west of the town of Denton, on the northwest corner of the intersection with Maryland Route 328. The Meeting House is located in a grove of mature oaks and smaller mixed hardwoods and pine trees . There are six marked burials visible with stones dated from the 1850s to 1890. Two plain granite stones with no markings identifies another burial, presumably dating to the same period; more recently, interrinents were made in 1969 and 1979. It is assumed that other burial sites are present but are no longer marked. A cast iron pump is located about 10 yards to the southeast of the meeting house. The meeting house is a one story r ectangular framebuilding with a pitched gable roof oriented on an east-west axis approxi mately parallel to Route 404. The building measures 30 feet 8~ inches long and 20 feet five inches deep; it rests on a continuous brick foundation and is covered with plain weatherboard siding and a wood shingle roof. The principal facade faces south to Route 404. There is only one door in this facade : a low, wide door measuring five feet one inch high and three feet five inches wide. This door is offset to left of center and is flanked by single 6/6 win dows on either side. The batten door is not original but appears to be a later 19th century replacement. It is constructed of plain vertical boards secured to three beveled battens with machine- made nails and is hung on hand-wrought H-L hinges mounted with screws. A small hickory string- latch appears to date to the installa tion of the second door, but the hinges and a wrought iron bracket for a drop bar appear to be original. The flanking windows are fitted with board shutters that also appear to be a later 19th century addition or replacement. They are constructed of vertical beaded boards secured to two beveled battens with wood screws; they are hung on butt hinges. The continuous brick foundat ion is relatively crudely laid in a random bond. The random width, plain weatherboar d siding is circular sawn and secured with machine- made nails, with an average exposure of 4 - 5~ inches. The eaves are boxed in with plain, unbended boards; the roof is covered with wood shingles . (Continued on White Sheet) 8. Significance Sur vey No. CAR - 36 Period Areas of Slgnlflcanc~heck and justify below _ _ prehistoric __ archeology-prehistoric __ community planning __ landscape architecture ~ religion - 1400-1499 ~ archeology-historic __ conservation __ law __ science _ 15~1599 __ agriculture __ economics __ literature __ sculpture _ 1601)-1699 _x_ architecture __ education __ military __ social/ _ 1701)-1799 _ _ art _ _ engineering __ music humanitarian ~ 18~1899 __ commerce __ exploration/settlement __ philosophy __ theater _x_ 1901)- _ _ communications __ Industry __ politics/government __ transportation _ _ invention __ other (specify) Specific dates Builder/Architect check: Applicable Criteria: A B c D and/or Applicable Exception: A B c D E F G Level of Significance: national state local Prepare both a summary paragraph of significance and a general statement of history and support. The Neck Meeting House in West Denton is the only extant Quaker Meeting House in Caroline County and one of only a few still standing on the Eastern Shore. Up until the time of the Revolution, the Quaker and Episcopal Churches were by far the most active and numerous of denominations on the Eastern Shore, and the Quakers were in the forefront of the abolition movement in the state up until the Civil War. The few meeting houses which remain are important reminders of the Quaker heritage . The Neck Meeting House and three other me e ting houses are listed on the National Register.* There are two brick meeting houses located in Cecil County: The West Nottingham Meeting House (CE-227) built in 1811, and the substantially older East Nottingham Me eting House (CE-82) which dates to 1724 and has been altered and expanded after several fires . Two other meeting houses are located in Talbot County: the historic Third Haven Meeting House built i n 1 684 which retains virtually all of its original app e arance, and the Peach Blossom Me eting House (T-121) , a small octagonal frame building constructed in the late nineteenth century . The majority of the meeting houses which once stood on the Eastern Shore have vanished although a few are still possibly standing in converted form. Among these is the former Greensboro Meeting House , a frame building constructed s hortly after the Quakers acquired the property in 1795 . This has now been move d to Ridgely and converted to a private residence. Other Qu a ker meet ing houses still possibly exist in Preston and about three miles west of Federalsburg in Dorchester County . The latter was known as the Piney Grove Meeting Hou s e and was conve rted to a residence in the mid-twentieth century. (Continued on Whit e Sheet) 9. Major Bibliographical References Sur vey No. CAR - 36 1 o. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property ------- Quadrangle name ------- Quadrangle scale - ---'------ UTM References do NOT complete UTM references 0 ALU I I I I I I I I I W I I 1 I Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing cLLJ ......l..L-& __....... _I ~l....L......L~"'--'-......... oLIJ ~Il.__._.......,._I ~I,_.__.__....__ E LLJ I I .._I~__.__- ..... F LU I I ~I........... ~ ....... ......., G LLJ I I I...... __.__....._.._ ___ , ._, ... HLLJ I Verbal boundary description and justification List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code state code county code 11. Form Prepared By Orlando Ridout V - EistoricdSites Survey . ._ Architectural Description : 1.,;oor 1nator name/title S t a t em en t o f S i g n i f i can c e : Geoffrey B.

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