Comment

Comment by Carl D. Williams on 12th mo. 23, 2014 at 11:58pm

On reflection, I think you must be right about which side was the men's side, and with side the women's.  Thanks for the recommendation of the book. It does look very interesting, and I shall put it on my list of "to reads."

Comment by William F Rushby on 10th mo. 11, 2014 at 9:10pm

Hello again, Carl!

Given your interests, you should look at Places of Worship by James P. Wind: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761989781/ref=olp_product_details...

I just discovered this book today, and ordered it immediately.  It may be had for a very low price; see Bookfinder.com.

Bill Rushby

Comment by William F Rushby on 10th mo. 11, 2014 at 8:03am

Carl:

Why do you think the left side was the men's side?  Usually, men were seated on the right side of the meetinghouse.

Bill Rushby

Comment by Carl D. Williams on 10th mo. 11, 2014 at 5:23am

Thanks for the generous comments, Friend.  My understanding is that the same Friend built both the meetinghouse in Weare and in Quaker-City Unity.  And, indeed, there are many similarities between the two.  Both originally did have a men's side and a woman's side, as evidenced by the double door.  In both cases the left side (which I believe was the men's side) was maintained while the women's side was converted to a gathering area. 

Comment by William F Rushby on 10th mo. 6, 2014 at 4:22pm

Carl:

Another good picture!  Thanks for the photo of the interior.

I notice that there is no partition between the men's and women's sides.  It is possible that it was removed, or perhaps men and women never sat separately.

Also, the backs of the benches do not have footrests, a board running the length of the bench which allows worshippers' feet to be off of the floor.