Call Number:

RG4.119

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Extent:

11 linear ft. (23 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item or series here], RG4/119 William Penn House Records.

Date:

1966-2004 (inclusive)

Creator:

William Penn House (Washington, D.C.)

Abstract:

William Penn House functions as a Quaker seminar and hospitality center on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. These records, dating from its founding in 1966 through 2004, document its many activities. In 2020 the board renamed the building Friends Place on Capitol Hill.

In September 1966, local Quaker meetings in the Washington DC joined together to create the William Penn House, drawing on the experiences of Quaker agencies already at work on Capitol Hill. Bob and Sally Cory who were finishing a 5-year assignment at the Quaker U.N. Office were asked to be the first directors. They had AFSC experience in administering work camps and foreign student seminars and in providing hospitality and orientation for refugees from Europe. Besides being a center for demonstration strategy and passive resistance training, William Penn House quickly became a place where congressional staff members and citizen action leaders could meet for informal luncheon discussions with Quakers and persons known to Quakers who could supply first-hand information on policy issues. In 2020 the board renamed the building Friends Place on Capitol Hill.

Records of the William Penn House in Washington, D.C., 1966-2004. Includes administrative and financial records, reservation lists, seminar files, housekeeping journals, and staff records. The latter are restricted.