Ghost of Religious Freedom (Old Flushing Quaker Meeting House)

          In the mid-1600s, Quaker persecution began and Quakers could not practice their belief together in anyone's house or else the owner of the house would be persecuted as well. After this dreaded period, Quakers were finally able to practice their faith and the Old Flushing Quaker Meeting House was the second one ever built in New York. Finally having the site as a safe place to pray together was definitely a relief and happy time for early Quakers. Although modernization is becoming a threat to the site, the modern day Quakers who attend the gatherings there every Sunday keep the meeting house alive. The spirit of renewed religious freedom that filled the site in its prime can still be seen and felt inside the meeting house and in the community surrounding it. 

          Old buildings are slowly disappearing throughout NYC and the old sites that still stand today are ignored and sometimes forgotten. In the article "The Death of a Once Great City," it states "Columbia University used (and abused) the power of eminent domain to kick out residents and small businesses at the western end of 125th Street, and is now stuffing that street with the huge, glassy, dreadful buildings of its new Manhattanville campus." This quote shows that people don't give as much importance to older buildings or neighborhoods compared to modern ones due to exponential modernization and commercialization. The Old Flushing Quaker Meeting House is one of the fortunate old buildings that still stand today despite the unfortunate present and future for old sites.

           The meeting house is like a time capsule that encompasses the "spirit" of rejoiced religious freedom experienced by the early Quakers after the era in which they were persecuted. Surrounding the site are newly built apartment buildings, stores, and a busy street but stepping into the meeting house is like travelling back to 1694 due to its traditional structure, furniture, and gatherings. The past of the meeting house is physically preserved by the burial of unknown Quakers behind the house and the original style of the structure of the site; it's preserved due to the modern Quakers who keep the life of the site through continual use of the house.

           There are some aspects of the past that remains in the meeting house which keeps the site standing today. At the back of the site are several tombstones that belong to mostly unknown Quakers; because people are generally more afraid to disturb burial grounds, this prevents the whole site from being demolished just like how a company was stopped from digging up the site in 2012. In the New York Times article called "Quakers Say Contractors Desecrated a Historic Queens Graveyard," when the contractors began to dig up the site, "Representatives of the Quaker meeting called upon the landmarks commission, the Buildings Department and elected officials to help resolve the issue." This immediate action by the Quaker community and the other groups who empathized with them is the reason why the meeting house is about 400 years old. Without the people who keep the meaning and value of old buildings, the site would be forgotten and wiped out.

           The value of religious freedom which is embodied by the Quaker meeting house is another powerful weapon that fights commercialization from affecting the state of the site. In the movie "The Destruction of Memory," it states "[People who want to destroy the bridge are the ones] who doesn't think they, their children, and their grandchildren will need the bridge..." This quote shows that people who don't see the importance of a building or structure, they deem it worthless. Without people who cared about the site standing up for it, the meeting house would be gone just like the bridge in the movie. As mentioned earlier, a company started to dig up the meeting house which alarmed the Quakers who still practice their belief there and the groups affiliated with the site. The community believed that this sudden disturbance of the meeting house is an indirect attack on religious freedom.

            It's true that the future of the meeting house, like other old buildings, is dim. The decreasing number of Quakers that exist in NYC leads to deteriorating significance of the meeting houses which could mean that this site could be the next victim of modernization in NYC; thus, the future of NYC is exponential advancement but the lost of historical sites. However, what could prevent or postpone this dreaded future of the site is the spirit of early Quakers brought upon by religious freedom which lives in the meeting house and in modern day Quakers.

            The meeting house means more than just a building for modern day Quakers; the site still reflects what it meant for early Quakers after persecution which is religious freedom. As the National Trust for Historic Preservation Richard Moe stated, "There may have been a time when preservation was about saving an old building here and there, but those days are gone. Preservation is in the business of saving communities and the values they embody." This quote connects to the spirit of the meeting house. The site will never be useless because the meeting house contains more than just the history of Quakers; it houses the energy of the first Quakers right after freedom from religious persecution which continues to inspire modern day Quakers to practice their faith. Removing the site would be detrimental to today's Quakers and doing so would mean throwing out the meaning of the site which puts religious freedom in NYC at risk.

            I initially chose this site because of its close location to my house and I've always passed by it. However, my interest grew when I researched more about it as it really tells me a lot about what my community Flushing was like in the past. I feel that the reason why keeping these historical old buildings in our city is very important is because it can teach several things about the values of the community it is located in and it can provide an insight on why the community is the way it is today. Not forgetting about the past doesn't just serve as a nostalgia in our lives; history is important in order to prevent past mistakes and to grow as a community. Without a physical thing such as the meeting house or any other old buildings that "haunts" or reminds us about the past, we will simply forget about everything. NYC is known for its flashy highrises and advanced architecture but what can be subtly seen if people focus on every part of the city is that its past is what made NYC great. By destroying historic sites, the city loses a big part of its past which can lead to the death of the NYC's greatness.