Farmington Quaker Crossroads Historic District
Why it's listed
At the crossroads of County Road 8 and Sheldon Road in Farmington, New York, a cluster of Quaker buildings and a burying ground records more than a century of religious life. Friends built a double log meetinghouse here in 1796, replaced it with a frame building in 1804, and raised a much larger meetinghouse in 1816 across the road. After the 1827 split between Hicksite and Orthodox Quakers, the 1816 building became the Hicksite meetinghouse, while Orthodox Friends later built the present 1876 frame church. A cemetery with about 670 known graves, including freedom seekers, surrounds the church. The 1816 meetinghouse was sold in 1927, moved 325 feet north and used to store celery. The district is considered significant because local Quakers took part in national movements for Native American sovereignty, woman's rights and abolition, and because the Congregational Friends formed in the 1816 building in 1848. A granite and bronze tablet from 1929 marks the earlier meetinghouse sites.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is nationally significant because Farmington Quakers who worshipped and were buried here led national reform movements: protection of Native American sovereignty, woman's rights, and abolitionism with the Underground Railroad. It is also locally significant as an intact rural crossroads with notable Quaker architecture and cemetery design in an unaltered agricultural setting. The 1816 meetinghouse hosted the 1848 founding of the Congregational Friends.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07000384, listed April 25, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cty Rd. 8 at Sheldon Rd., Farmington |
|---|---|
| County | Ontario County |
| Listed | April 25, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000384 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1796-1929 |
| Architect / builder | unknown (1816); D.C. Brundage (1876) |
| Architectural style | Early Republic; Late Victorian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Social History, Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | National, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The 1816 meetinghouse was in poor condition by 2005 and lost its east wall in a February 2007 windstorm. It was then donated to a foundation, stabilized and covered with a net while restoration plans developed. The 1876 church and cemetery remain in religious and funerary use. |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Coordinates | 43.02765, -77.32115 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07000384.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5435907
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.