The current Portland Monthly Meeting has its origins in two different monthly meetings taking place in close proximity to each other that later merged into what is now the Portland Monthly Meeting. Friends' meetings in Portland, Maine began in 1752, and by 1790, joined the neighboring Falmouth Monthly Meeting. In 1850, the group built a new meetinghouse on Oak Street in Portland, and started becoming known as the "Oak Street" meeting. Meanwhile, the other of two originating meetings began when a second meetinghouse was built in 1855 on Forest Avenue to house the Deering Preparative Meeting that eventually became the Forest Avenue Monthly Meeting in 1934. The two separate monthly meetings continued in Portland until 1974 when they merged into one: the current Portland Monthly Meeting.
The current collection consists of materials dating from just before the start of the 1974 merger. Newsletters make up the largest portion of the collection, and have extensive information about the meetings' activities, including (in some years) biographies of various members. There are newsletters from most years between 1973-2010. Minutes, primarily from the late 1970s and the late 1980s, make up the next largest portion of the collection. In addition, there is a smattering of committee reports and membership directories mostly from the mid-1990s. Material predating the 1974 merger can be found at the Maine Historical Society.
Abbie Loring in Cape Cod Quaker attire, ca.1930. Photo by Alton H. Blackington
The current Portland Monthly Meeting has its origins in two different monthly meetings taking place in close proximity to each other that later merged into what is now the Portland Monthly Meeting.
Friends' meetings in Portland, Maine began in 1752, and by 1790, joined the neighboring Falmouth Monthly Meeting, just north of Portland. A Portland worship group continued until 1796, alternating over the years between being a worship group and a preparative meeting. From 1976-1842, it existed as a preparative meeting and in 1842-1855 as a worship group. In 1850, the group built a new meetinghouse on Oak Street in Portland, and started becoming known as the "Oak Street" meeting. From 1855-1860, it reverted to a preparative meeting; from 1860-1875, it developed again into a worship group. In 1875, it again reverted to a preparative meeting and continued that way until 1974.
Meanwhile, the other of two originating meetings began when a second meetinghouse was built in 1855 on Forest Avenue to house the Deering Preparative Meeting (Deering was a separate neighboring village of Portland until 1899 when it was annexed by Portland and is now an area of Portland). The Deering Preparative Meeting eventually became the Deering Meeting for Worship in 1887, the Forest Avenue Meeting for Worship in 1903, and finally the Forest Avenue Monthly Meeting in 1934.
The two separate monthly meetings continued in Portland until 1974 when they merged into one: the current Portland Monthly Meeting that meets at the Forest Avenue location. The Forest Avenue Monthly Meeting had been affiliated with the Falmouth Quarterly Meeting since 1934, and with the merger of the two meetings in 1974, the newly-formed Portland Monthly Meeting retained this membership. Since then, two worship groups have developed under the care of the Portland Monthly Meeting: a worship group on neighboring Peaks Island started in 1982 and lasted for ten years, and the Kennebunk Worship Group started in 1987.
Scope of collection
The current collection consists of materials dating from just before the start of the 1974 merger. Newsletters make up the largest portion of the collection, and have extensive information about the meetings' activities, including (in some years) biographies of various members. There are newsletters from most years between 1973-2010. Minutes, primarily from the late 1970s and the late 1980s, make up the next largest portion of the collection. In addition, there is a smattering of committee reports and membership directories mostly from the mid-1990s. Material predating the 1974 merger can be found at the Maine Historical Society.
Inventory
Minutes
1973-2005
Portland Monthly: Minutes (contains only Jan., Feb., Nov.)
