The Beginnings, Part 3: We Move Home

In January, 1951, All Souls Church where Penn Valley Meeting of Friends had been using space was destroyed by fire, and Friends began a search for a new meeting place in a central location.

According to an article in the January, 1952, Newsletter, that search took place in this way.... "At the February 10 meeting, Virginia Oldham 'wondered aloud' if the basement of her apartment building could be adapted to Penn Valley's use. The meeting promptly adjourned to said basement where Herbert Briggs and other members with some construction experience decided that satisfactory meeting rooms could be built.... After inspecting the space and current arrangement, members agreed that a large meeting room, a First Day room for kindergartners, a kitchen that could be double as a First Day room for the primary class, a small First Day room for the junior class, a cloakroom, a Service Committee storeroom, and a washroom could be constructed without placing too heavy a financial burden on the Meeting. Francis Wright generously offered to lend us the money needed. Herbert Briggs offered to purchase the necessary materials, and Albert Jewel was authorized to purchase 55 folding chairs.... By Wednesday, March 14, Penn Valley was able to have its first monthly meeting in the new quarters, and meetings for worship began the following Sunday.

"It was our sign, however, that seemed to put the seal of recognition upon us as a 'meeting within a meetinghouse.' John Oliver secured from one of his clients a large plastic sign neatly marked as follows:

Earl Noland had the sign enclosed with a steel frame and built a heavy wooden framework to hang the sign upon, and one June day when it seemed that the almost constant rains had let up, he. . .hung the sign."

In 1963, after hearing the advice from some who had moved to other meetings, Virginia Oldham wrote, "Even a small and simple meetinghouse will be a large undertaking for ten families, none of whom has any great excess of this world's goods. Let us hope that the courage and concern of the first 20 years will carry on to meet the need of Penn Valley Meeting" for its second 20 years.

Jeannette Larson continues the story in her essay, "How To Help A Small Meeting Survive." "Our free quarters in the basement of Virginia Oldham's apartment house came to an end when she announced her intention to sell the building. For some time our members ignored this. When at last we tackled the problem, it took a long time to reach a consensus. Some people wanted to buy the building and stay right there. But parents of children and all who had participated in efforts to teach the young were firm in their opinion that the building was not adequate for a Friends' meetinghouse, and that we should look for adequate space. We were certain about what we did not want: we would not buy a church, we would remain in the central part of the city and we wanted a 'simple' meetinghouse."

The meeting achieved its aim and in 1973 moved to a house at 4405 Gillham Road and hung its sign. Our meeting had come home.