Hopewell Friends Meeting in Frederick County, Virginia
The Society of Friends (Quakers) began in England in the 1650s, when they broke away from the Puritans. Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn, as a safe place for Friends to live and practice their faith.
Hopewell Friends Meeting was set off from the Concord, Pennsylvania Quarterly Meeting in 1734. It was originally named Opeckan [Opequon] after nearby Opequon Creek. The first log meeting house was built in 1734 and was about six miles north of Winchester, Virginia. At various times there were about 30 meetings under its oversight. These meetings covered a large area including all of northern Virginia, and all of what is now West Virginia, parts of western Pennsylvania and one meeting in Maryland (Monocacy).
About 1736, the members asked Chester quarterly meeting for permission to hold a monthly meeting.
The next autumn, on the 6th day of 10th month, 1760, at Hopewell Monthly Meeting Jesse Pugh, Enos Thomas, Jonathan Parkins, William Dillon, Henry Rees (Reece), and Joseph Lupton were appointed to visit "a scattered number of friends Living on Mill Crick, Middle Crick and Tuscarorah," who by reason of distance could not well attend at Hopewell, and who therefore were desirous of being indulged with liberty to hold a meeting for worship during the winter season. But they could not agree among themselves upon a meeting-place. The committee of six from Hopewell was to assist them to an agreement. (from Hopewell Friends History)
In 1757, the Hopewell meeting house burned and the early records were lost.
on the 7th day of 10th month, 1771, the following minute was entered at Hopewell:
This meeting Appoints William Pickering, Enos Ellis, Samuel Pickering, John Lupton,Joseph Lupton, and Benjamin Thornbrugh to meet the Committee from the Quarterly Meeting to meet at pipe Creek in Maryland the 23d of the 10th mo. to Confer With them Conserning Holding of A Quarterly meeting and make Report to the Next monthly meeting.
In 1781, Hopewell Meeting split into Crooked Run and Centre Meetings. Crooked Run Meeting was in Warren County, Virginia near the village of Ninevah.
Opequon Creek is tributary of the Potomac River. It joins the Potomac northeast of Martinsburg and its source is at the foot of Great North Mountain. It is part of the boundary between Frederick and Clarke counties in Virginia and between Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia.
