~
Dear Friends,
As I was preparing recently to give an interview on Quakers in San Francisco, I went into the meetinghouse archives and pulled out a page of old photographs from 1900. I've been thinking about the history of our meeting, and realized that these photos are among the few (only?) documents of Quakers in San Francisco before the Earthquake of 1898. I found these photos many years ago in an old filing cabinet. Since these photos are so rare, I would very much like them to be preserved.
Please find here this page of four photos, which is labeled in clear handwriting, in hopes that you might find a way to make use of it. The building at 570 Harrison Street was called "Swarthmore Hall.” Also find below a document that contains the research notes I made on Barclay Smith, who was so influential in keeping Quakerism in San Francisco alive at the turn of the 20th century.
Bruce Folsom, San Francisco Friends Meeting, August 2023