Sense of place is defining oneself in terms of the landscape, history and shared experiences of a given place.  The emotional factor makes a community psychologically comfortable, shapes local identity and gives one a spiritual bond to the land. 

As a newspaper delivery boy growing up in Forty Fort, my route up and down River Street passed by the Forty Fort Meeting House a few thousand times.  The cemetery surrounding the Meeting House became my extended backyard and the dike (I still have a hard time saying levee) was the fence that protected my neighborhood and me.

The granite tombstones, mausoleums and weather worn grave markers acted as my teacher in shaping my perception of the Wyoming Valley.  I was in awe of the simplistic beauty of the Forty Fort Meeting House and while the door was always locked, the building and markers unlocked my passionate curiosity of the people, place and time of the early settlers in the Valley.

The bicentennial of the Forty Fort Meeting House is a milestone for Northeastern Pennsylvania.  It is a labor of love to help organize the celebration but the greatest honor is working with the living legends of the Bicentennial Committee and the members of the Forty Fort Meeting House Preservation Committee.

The well-documented history of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s first church is readily available online or at any library.  This article was supposed to share with you the historical facts and figures, list celebration events and dates but as I sat down to write a typical article it occurred to me that the real joy of the Meeting House’s anniversary and restoration is the experience of working with a generation of dedicated stewards of our community’s treasures.

Susan Dantona Jolley co-chairs the Gala Dinner Celebration with me.  We are both in our early 40s and lived a block apart in Forty Fort, yet did not know one another (her family must have read that other paper).  We briefly worked together at Wilkes, shared the experience of Leadership Wilkes-Barre and have bonded through our volunteer work for the Meeting House and mutual admiration for Betsy Bell Condron and Lillian Davis Smith – two extraordinary women and role models of their generation.

Lillian Davis Smith chairs the Preservation Committee and Betsy Bell Condron chairs the Bicentennial Committee for the Forty Fort Meeting House.  The joyous opportunity to work with and learn from such dedicated stewards is a wonderful experience.

The goal and role of preservation and the storing telling that goes with it – is to pass the torch of civilization through the generations.  The inspiration I receive from Betsy, Lillian, Libby Hirner, Vance Packard, Nancy Lychos and scores of others involved with the Meeting House is a blessing.  They are valued treasures just as the Meeting House is a shared treasure and symbol of unity for our community.  I have a stronger sense of place because of them and it will be a great honor and awesome responsible for my generation to pass the torch of the Forty Fort Meeting House to the next generation.

Forty Fort Meeting House Bicentennial Celebration Week

Sunday, September 30
  1:30 pm Opening Ceremonies
  5:30 pm Ecumenical Vesper Service

Daily Educational Tours

Saturday, October 6
  5:30 pm Gala Dinner at Wyoming Seminary Lower School

For more information visit:   www.fortyfortmeetinghouse.org

©The Westsider Magazine 2007

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