Photo courtesy Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College.
The first Barnegat Friends Meeting House was built on its present site in 1767. It was the first place of worship in Barnegat and the third church building in Ocean County. The land on which the meeting house was built was deeded June 11, 1770 by Timothy Ridgeway and Levi Cranmer of Stafford Township, to Stephen Birdsall and Job Ridgeway, both of Stafford, and Daniel Shourds and Joseph Gauntt of Little Egg Harbor. The same day that Cranmer and Ridgeway conveyed the land, the grantees named reconveyed the land to "the people of God, called Quakers, belonging to the monthly meeting held in Little Egg Harbor in Burlington County". Barnegat was then and continued for many years to be an indulged meeting under the Little Egg Harbor Meeting. The 1770 documents reference a meeting house already built on the property.
Photo courtesy Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College.
The meeting house in use today is not believed to be the original 1767 structure. Minutes from Little Egg Harbor Monthly Meeting dated 12th day of the 10th month 1848 state that "John Collins, Willets Fawkes, Timothy Pharo, Robert Pharo, and John Collins, Jr is appointed a committee to raise money by subscription for the purpose of building a meeting house on Friends old meeting house lot at Barnaget". This would suggest that the original meeting house had met its demise by 1848. It is documented that the new meeting house was finished by 1851. Minutes of Little Egg Harbor Meeting held the 10th day of 4th month 1851 state that "the committee appointed to superintend the building of the meetinghouse at Barnaget now makes a full report and say the house is built, the cost of which is 755 dollars and 46 cents".
Photo courtesy Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College.
Quakers continued to worship at Barnegat Meeting until 1901 when, due to dwindling membership, both Little Egg Harbor Meeting and Barnegat Meeting were "laid down". This means that the remaining membership were transferred to Burlington Meeting and the meetinghouses were no longer in regular use. The Burlington Meeting appointed a trustee to care for the Barnegat meeting house property, and held title to it during the years it was not in regular use. During this time Meetings were occasionally held at Barnegat in the summer months. Due to the concern of Barnegat resident Gladys C. Cox in keeping the meeting alive, on the 3rd day 5th month 1970, the meeting house was reopened. Since that time, morning worship has been held regularly each "First Day". In 1973, Barnegat's request to operate as a Monthly Meeting was approved at Burlington, and Barnegat Meeting continues to operate as such today.
Photo courtesy of Michael J. Graham.
Care of the Barnegat meeting house and grounds is made possible through income raised by subscription and small endowments. Active in securing these funds were the late Ezra Parker, Mary Etta Cox Parker and Martha Carter Cranmer. Some of the old stones in the cemetery indicate graves that are almost 200 years old. The burial ground was the only one in the community for many years and is the resting place of many shipwrecked travelers.