Please join us to celebrate a Virtual Sacred Sites weekend, offered by the Bowne House Historical Society, in conjunction with the New York Landmarks Conservancy. Sacred Sites Open House allows visitors to explore the wonderful art, architecture, and history of New York’s diverse religious sites.

We invite you to view our slideshow, titled Flushing’s First Quakers: The Bowne House, The Fox Oaks and the Friends Meeting House. Created by Bowne House researcher Kate Lynch and narrated by archivist Charlotte Jackson, this slideshow uses historical images and archival text to illuminate the sacred history of early Flushing. It will be available for viewing on this event page throughout the weekend, from 11:00 AM on August 8 to 4 PM on August 9. No sign up is required. Please note that the Bowne House has not yet reopened. This is a virtual event only.

About the Bowne House:

THE 1661 BOWNE HOUSE, the oldest house in Queens, and the second oldest in New York City and New York State, was home to John Bowne and nine generations of the Bowne/Parsons family. For early Quakers, it was a place to gather for worship for over thirty years until the Flushing Quaker Meeting House was constructed in 1694. Consequently, it is one of the oldest places of worship in the State.

For thousands of visitors, it has been a memorial to John Bowne and his wife Hannah Bowne, one of the first female American Quaker ministers. John played an important role in securing the freedom of conscience espoused in the 1645 Charter of the Town of Flushing after his arrest in 1662 by Peter Stuyvesant, his banishment for allowing these meetings in his home, and subsequent appeal to the Dutch West India Company. The Bowne House is a New York City Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a state site of historic significance.

Presented by the Bowne House with generous support from the Queens Delegation to the City Council, in conjunction with our Liberty 2020 celebration.