The Neck Meetinghouse and Yard, also known as the Quaker Meetinghouse and Graveyard, is a historic

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

meetinghouse located at

West Denton West Denton is an area in the western part of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The ...

Caroline County, Maryland Caroline County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,293. Its county seat is Denton. Caroline County is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talb ...

. It is a one-story rectangular frame building with a pitched gable roof measuring 30 feet, 8 inches long and 20 feet, 5 inches deep. In the graveyard are six marked burials with stones dating from the 1850s to 1890, with some more recent interments. It is the only extant

Friends meeting house A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), where meeting for worship is usually held. Typically, Friends meeting houses are simple and resemble local residential buildings. Steeples, spires, and ...

in Caroline County, and one of only a few still standing on the Eastern Shore. The meeting house was utilized from September 26, 1802, when the first meeting was held in the building, until it was abandoned in 1890 for lack of funds and participants. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1976.

Saving the Meetinghouse

With Quakers moving away or joining other meetings, Tuckahoe Neck quickly fell into disrepair. In 1930, a few of the former members made an attempt at limited repairs, but once again it was left to deteriorate. By 2002, the building was in a terrible condition with extensive termite damage. Major restoration work took place over the next two years. This included new footing and brick piers, replacement of termite damaged sills, and floor joists with new beams and joists being installed, and a new shingle roof added. As had occurred in the past, there was no regular maintenance, and by 2017 more repairs were needed. The east end of the building required the most attention, and was repaired by the summer of 2019. However, there was no plan to address the need for repair of the other three sides or to establish a plan for regular maintenance. As a result, a few individuals came forward with a fundraising plan to restore the building, but also to establish a trust to provide perpetual care.

References

External links

*, including photo from 1999, at Maryland Historical Trust {{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Quaker meeting houses in Maryland Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Churches in Caroline County, Maryland Churches completed in 1802 Cemeteries in Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Caroline County, Maryland 1802 establishments in Maryland Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Cemeteries established in the 1800s