The North Shore Historical Museum has announced the opening of its newest exhibit, “Faith and Fellowship: Celebrating 300 Years of the Matinecock Friends Meetinghouse.”
This landmark exhibition commemorates the tricentennial of the Matinecock Meetinghouse in Locust Valley, one of Long Island’s oldest continuously used houses of worship, and explores the enduring influence of Quaker values on the region’s cultural and civic life.
A Shared Legacy of Simplicity and Service
Founded in 1725, the Matinecock Meetinghouse has stood as a beacon of simplicity, peace, and community for generations. Through archival photographs and rare artifacts, the exhibit traces how Quaker principles—equality, integrity, and social responsibility—shaped the development of Long Island’s North Shore, from abolitionist movements and women’s suffrage to education reform and environmental stewardship.
The exhibition specifically highlights the Meetinghouse’s historic and spiritual link with Friends Academy, the prominent Quaker independent school founded in Locust Valley in 1876. Friends Academy students and faculty regularly attend Meeting for Worship at the Matinecock Meetinghouse, continuing a tradition that grounds the school’s educational mission in the very principles celebrated in this exhibit.
“This is more than a celebration of a building,” said Christopher Judge, director of the North Shore Historical Museum. “It’s a tribute to the quiet but powerful legacy of Quakerism in our region. The Meetinghouse has been a place of reflection, resilience, and radical compassion for 300 years—and its story, which is also the foundational story of institutions like Friends Academy, continues to inspire.”
Exhibit Highlights
● A rare 1775 manumission document freeing Elijah Israel, an enslaved man, reflecting the Quaker commitment to abolition decades before national emancipation.
● A first edition of “History of the People Called Quakers, Volume IV” (1790), offering insight into the spiritual and social convictions that guided early Friends.
● Profiles of prominent Quaker families whose leadership and quiet activism helped shape the educational, philanthropic, and civic institutions of the North Shore.
● A sweeping timeline of social justice initiatives—from anti-slavery and women’s suffrage to environmental stewardship and peace advocacy—rooted in Quaker principles and carried out by local Friends across generations.
● Archival photos and records documenting the long-standing use of the Matinecock Meetinghouse by Friends Academy for its weekly Meeting for Worship.
● Visitors can read excerpts of historic Quaker documents aloud to engage with the compelling language and moral urgency of early Friends, or sit in an area dedicated to sitting in silence for several minutes, mirroring the practice of Quaker Meeting for Worship.
The exhibit will run through spring 2026 and is accompanied by a series of public programs, including lectures and tours. The North Shore Historical Museum is located at 140 Glen St. in Glen Cove. Museum hours are on Saturdays.
