This Meeting House is the oldest religious building in Uxbridge Township. It was erected in 1820 to replace a log structure built on the same site in 1809. The timber used was hand-hewn and is in good repair today, a monument to the devotion of those early settlers who first located in Uxbridge Township.

The 191st Anniversary Service

Kathleen Hertzberg was born in England. She is a life-long member of the Society of Friends (originally STAFFORD Friends Meeting in England).

She studied at Woodbrooke, the Quaker College in England. She worked in serveral areas of Quaker concern and service - in Germany prior to the Second World War, assisting people of Jewish origin and others who were endangered to leave Germany; during the war in England she worked in air-raid shelters and in the evacuation of the homeless and then as a social worker for continental refugees in England.

After the war, she was appointed to accompany an older Friend to pay the first post-war visits to German Quaker meetings on behalf of London Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, after which she did relief and reconciliation work for the British Friends Service Council at the British Quaker Centre in Berlin and during the Russian blockade of that city.

She married Dr. F. S. Hertzberg who practiced medicine in Pickering, Ontario for forty years. They have three children. Since coming to Canada in 1952, she has been active in the life of the Society of Friends in Canada and is a member of the Toronto Friends Meeting. She had been chairman of the Canadian Friends Service Committee and a representative of Canadian Yearly Meeting on the (international) Friends World Committee for Consultation. She is concerned to understand anew the original message of George Fox and the Early Quakers and its relevance for Quakers today. She worked for a number of years in the Ajax-Pickering community in developing much needed social programs.

The 187th Anniversary Service

The Friends' Meeting House celebrated its 187th anniversary service on June 09, 1996. At the service, Wilda Clark, one of the directors of the "Friends' Meeting House" Board, presented a plaque to Ronald and Russell Gould, recognizing their work in building a new foundation for the church. The building was in need of repairs after the inspection found that the building was sinking into the ground (the building has never had a foundation). Russell Gould (direct descendant of Joseph Gould) and Ronald Gould (direct descendant of Jesse Gould), devoted themselves fully to the project with free labour. They drafted the plans, had them approved and obtained the permit for the construction. Contractors were hired to move the building, dig the excavation, put in the footings and walls, and the drainage. Russell and Ronald put all new floor joists under the floor and levelled the floor.

After many years of being closed, the east window was refurbished by Russell with new glass and trim. This window (opening) was used at a funeral to remove the home made casket through this opening to the horse drawn wagon waiting outside on the same level. With the building back on the new foundation, Russell and Ronald replaced the old veranda with all new wood and posts. Access to the crawl space under the building is under the platform.

Information and Photo Provided by the "Friends' Meeting House" Board
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