History of HMM
In the 1950’s a few F/friends gathered at the home of John and Margaret Mason in Newtown, Connecticut for worship . Outgrowing that space, the meeting met in schools, where a First Day School was established. Soon it became Newtown Preparative Meeting under the care of Wilton Monthly Meeting. In 1969 an abandoned meeting house was found on Route 7 in New Milford, and it was agreed to undertake its restoration. Alter many work days, worship was held there for the first time on May 7, 1970. At that time the name was changed to Housatonic Monthly Meeting. In 1971, with the approval of Wilton, Purchase Quarterly Meeting granted monthly meeting status at a meeting of rededication “for ourselves, our neighbors, and the larger world.”
Although the original deed to the property is dated 1708, the building was not erected until 1805, where New Milford Preparative Meeting met until the 1880’s. No minutes or benches remain from the original meeting, but it is known that there was a close relationship with Oblong Meeting on Quaker Hill in Pawling, New York. Quarterly Meeting alternated between the two at that time. The original meeting transferred from Purchase to Nine Partners.
In January, 1972, Housatonic Monthly Meeting faced a new challenge, when an arsonist set fire to the building. Quick action by local firemen saved the original Meetinghouse, which suffered some damage however. The Meetinghouse was remodeled the following year.
With the help of a legacy from a member, the Meeting has helped finance a person on a peace-oriented worldwide visit among Friends, and another on a bicycle journey from New York to Northfield, Minnesota, visiting Friends along the way and promoting attendance at Friends General Conference. Locally there has been activity in the ecumenical peace groups in New Milford and Danbury. In 1968 a meeting for worship was established inside the walls of the federal prison in Danbury, where many resisters to the Vietnam war were detained.
