Arch Street Meeting House

05/25/2026

It's the summer of 1948, and dynamic civil rights activist Bayard Rustin has a very important speech to prepare for at Arch Street Meeting House. But outspoken 18th-century educator, activist, and artist Sarah Mapps Douglass doesn’t know who this young interloper is.

Written and directed by Yvie Jones, A Quiet Roar is an immersive 30-minute theater performance that bridges the lives of Rustin and Mapps Douglass, two phenomenal Black Philadelphian Quakers who walked the halls of Arch Street Meeting House a century apart. Their writings and experiences come to life by highlighting the complex, often overlooked intersections of race, faith, and freedom in the United States.

The performance is FREE and will run Memorial Day (May 25) & every Saturday from May 25 - September 7, 2026 at 11:00 am & 12:30 pm.

Visit HistoricASMH.org/events to register or for more information.

05/08/2026

Did you know that there's a secret vault in the lobby of Arch Street Meeting House? 🔍

During the meetinghouse's construction in 1804, a "fireproof vault" was built to protect the important records and items of Pennsylvania's growing Quaker population.

Today, the vault still holds a portion of the museum's archival collection.

Visit the museum Thursday - Sunday, 10 AM - 4 PM. HistoricASMH.org

05/07/2026

ICYMI 👀 'The History Of Quakers: A Religious Revolution' is now on view at Arch Street Meeting House.

Explore the museum and discover how the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) transformed from 17th-century spiritual radicals into leaders in the fight for religious freedom, civil rights, and more.

Arch Street Meeting House is now open Thursday - Sunday, 10 AM - 4 PM.

HistoricASMH.org

04/02/2026

Installation has begun!

"The History of Quakers: A Religious Revolution", Arch Street Meeting House's new permanent exhibit, opens Thursday, April 9, 2026.

The three-centuries-old National Historical Landmark and museum in Old City welcomes visitors to explore the early origins of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and to witness their transformation from 17th-century spiritual radicals into leaders in the fight for religious freedom in the United States.

Beginning April 9, view the exhibits Thursday through Sunday, 10 AM To 4 PM.

Visit HistoricASMH.org for updated hours and more information.

03/06/2026

Earlier this week some of our museum volunteers came together for training updates and behind-the-scenes tour of the ongoing building renovations.

Arch Street Meeting House will reopen to the public on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Visit HistoricASMH.org for more information.

02/27/2026

We're counting down the days until Arch Street Meeting House reopens, and here's a sneak peek!

Painting has started in the East Room, and in a few weeks the new exhibit installations will begin.

12/16/2025

Please join us this Thursday, December 18th from 4:30pm - 7pm at the Arch Street Meeting House to recognize Homeless Persons Memorial Day. Homeless Persons Memorial Day is a national event that takes place on or around 12/21, the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. Since the early 1990s, Philadelphia advocates, providers, and people with lived experience have gathered each year locally to remember those we have lost and recommit to ending homelessness in our city.
Graphic by Project HOME

Homeless Persons Memorial Day
Thursday, December 18th
Arch Street Meeting House
320 Arch Street, Philadelphia PA 19106
Service at 4:30pm; Dinner at 6pm
All are welcome!

12/13/2025

Before & After: 221 years of foot traffic👣...

Our contractors are currently hard at work refinishing the original 1804 floors of Arch Street Meeting House's East Room as we prepare for the installation of our brand new core exhibits, opening in Spring 2026.

ASMH is open Thursday - Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Visit HistoricASMH.org for more information.

12/12/2025

12/12/2025

Check out this program presented by our friends at Stenton!

Wrestling With Justice: Quakers & Northern Slavery - "Telling the Truth: Understanding and Untangling Historical Facts and Interpretations"
Tuesday, December 16th, 6:00-8:00 PM At Stenton

This facilitated conversation at Stenton will consider two documents from Logan family papers. These letters, written by white Quaker enslavers, James Logan and William Logan, reveal aspects of the lives of two enslaved Black people, Jack (teenaged in 1723) and Menah (aged 49 in 1756), who labored at Stenton. In the context of questions around understanding historical truth and interpretation, we will read into the biases of these letters to understand what they tell us and to consider how to talk about their contents.

This program, part of Stenton's Wrestling With Justice Project, supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, is open to all. No need to have attended previous Wrestling with Justice programs to join us.

Wrestling With Justice: Quakers & Northern Slavery

"Telling the Truth: Understanding and Untangling Historical Facts and Interpretations"

Tuesday, December 16th
6:00-8:00 PM
At Stenton

This facilitated conversation at Stenton will consider two documents from Logan family papers. These letters, written by white Quaker enslavers, James Logan and William Logan, reveal aspects of the lives of two enslaved Black people, Jack (teenaged in 1723) and Menah (aged 49 in 1756), who labored at Stenton. In the context of questions around understanding historical truth and interpretation, we will read into the biases of these letters to understand what they tell us and to consider how to talk about their contents.

This program, part of Stenton's Wrestling With Justice Project, supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, is open to all. No need to have attended previous Wrestling with Justice programs to join us.

This program is free; refreshments will be served. RSVP here: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/stenton/telling-the-truth-understanding-and-untangling-historical-facts-and-interpretations