Buckingham Friends Meeting House
Also known as: Buckingham Meeting of Friends; Buckingham Monthly Meeting Hou
Why it's listed
Built in 1768 on the highest point of a ridge above the Lahaska Valley in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, the Buckingham Friends Meeting House is a two-and-a-half story stone building of local buff sandstone, laid in rough courses with large quoins and a full return cornice across the gable ends. Its symmetrical Georgian-type exterior has segmental relieving arches above the first-floor windows and pedimented hoods over the doors. Inside, movable panels allowed the men's and women's meetings to be separated or combined into one room. Under supervision of Robert Smith and Joseph Ellicott, local mason Matthias Hutchinson and carpenter Edward Good erected the building. The property is valued for its architecture, which is considered a strong example of a Quaker meeting house of its period, and for its long role in the community. Members of the meeting once comprised almost the entire townships of Buckingham and Solebury, and its discipline, dispute settlement and school shaped local life through the nineteenth century. The cemetery has been in continuous use since 1705.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is a locally outstanding example of mid-eighteenth century Quaker meeting house architecture with excellent integrity, its details closely following English Quaker residential design. It also argues the meeting was a focal point of community religious, social and political life in the region, particularly through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
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 97000291, listed March 28, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5684 Lower York Rd., Buckingham Township, Lahaska |
|---|---|
| County | Bucks County |
| Listed | March 28, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000291 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1768-1900 |
| Architect / builder | Robert Smith and Joseph Ellicott (supervision); Matthias Hutchinson (mason); Edward Good (carpenter) |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Social History, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Acreage | 39 |
| Coordinates | 40.34907, -75.04036 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 97000291.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4983211
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.