as though it must be a replica but definitely isn’t. After exploring the Meeting House, we then took a guided walk through the cemetery. It is easy to see the development of this
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The women’s side of the Meeting house
part of the property over time. The original Quaker portion features simple grave markers or no markers at all. The far end, the “newer” or non-Quaker portion, features more modern stones and monuments. One of the folks buried in the newer portion is Mordecai Pancoast. Mordeci was the grandfather of Abigail Geisinger who founded Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Catawissa Friends Meeting House: It is one of the last surviving meetinghouses in Pennsylvania featuring a stone foundation. Although there are other Friends Meeting Houses still standing in the county (Numidia and Millville), the Catawissa Friends Meeting House is the oldest. Our tour and open house were sponsored by the Catawissa Celebrates 250 Committee. Unfortunately, at the time of this article there are no other open houses scheduled for this year. If that changes, we will surely let you know. However, the grounds and cemetery are open to visit any day. Seeing the Meeting House from the outside and admiring its elegant simplicity makes it a worthwhile stop. There are benches located along the stone wall for those who desire to just sit and take it all in.
Thanks for reading along. We appreciate you being part of our History Under Your Nose Family . Nate Wiggin – writer / researcher / editor Sources/Acknowledgments: [1] SAH Archipedia sah-archipedia.org [2] Susquehanna Footprints susquehannafootprints.com “Quaker Meeting House Dates to the Earliest Days of Catawis- sa” 8/2/24 by Terry Diener [3] site visit and history talk Special thanks to Gary Roberts and the Catawissa Celebrates 250 Committee.
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