The Society of Friends has had a long, but discontinuous history in Lewiston, Maine. After periods of activity from 1785-1851 and 1867-1911, Quaker worship in Lewiston was revived in 1972, leading to reinstatement of a monthly meeting in 1980. Oxford Hills Monthly Meeting was set off from Lewiston in 1993.
The records of the Quaker meeting in Lewiston, Maine, cover its third and most recent iteration, including minutes from 1980 to 1993 ad a handful of state of society reports. The collection also include limited documentation of the Oxford Hills Worship Group prior to its setting off as a monthly meeting in 1993.
Abbie Loring in Cape Cod Quaker attire, ca.1930. Photo by Alton H. Blackington
The Society of Friends has had a long, but far from continuous history in Lewiston, Maine. A Quaker worship group began meeting in Lewiston under care of Falmouth Monthly Meeting in 1785, transferring five years later to Durham Monthly and becoming a preparative meeting in 1816.
After having been laid down from 1851 to 1867, the Lewiston Preparative Meeting was revived and advanced to a monthly meeting under Falmouth Quarter when it was set off from Durham in 1891, but twenty years later it was again laid down with its remaining members transferred to Durham.
In 1972, Quakers in Lewiston came together yet again to hold summer meetings for worship under the care of Falmouth Monthly Meeting, leading to a reinstatement of Lewiston Monthly Meeting in 1980. A worship group in Oxford Hills that began meeting under Lewston's care in 1984 was set off as its own monthly meeting in 1993.
Scope of collection
The records of the Quaker meeting in Lewiston, Maine, cover its third and most recent iteration, including minutes from 1980 to 1993 ad a handful of state of society reports. The collection also include limited documentation of the Oxford Hills Worship group prior to its setting off as a monthly meeting in 1993.
Cite as: Lewiston Monthly Meeting of Friends Records (MS 902 L495). Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.
