friends meeting house friends meeting house friends meeting house located north rural village holder illinois site defunct village called founded settled area followed burial ground current meeting house constructed site listed remains village burial ground preceded meeting house site home meeting house constructed meeting house represents constructed example meeting house architecture contains design major elements associated style unique allowed male female friends worship room burial ground maintains strict separation gender religious affiliation sections distant relatives building location friends meeting house located relatively elevated area land east near community holder land originally flat prairie today designated agricultural use unincorporated community located nearby east large wind farm constructed building extant structure defunct village illinois history years settlers arrived area meeting house constructed site present day friends meeting house continued flow area 1860s current friends meeting house constructed seen little change built minor alterations taken place including addition concrete porch shed east rear facade shed added serve storage space building social political religious hub area site visited friends meeting houses state building longer owned religious institution occasional services held architecture friends meeting house located acres site planted grass native deciduous trees location surrounded crops isolated nearby structures rectangular balloon framed building situated east west axis facade facing west long measures shorter ends building measure building entrance found south elevation consists dual doors walls friends meeting house typical example traditional meeting houses elements common meeting houses east found example plain interiors lack stained glass rectangular shaped log frame construction type partition interior space attached burial ground exterior simplicity separate men women entrances location long wall interior room like exterior oriented east west prominent decorative element inside hand detail wood surfaces elevated gallery lines north wall facing tall wide board partition partition door window trim hand interior walls covered pine original iron replaced oil burning set original building considered fine example traditional architecture contains elements found typical meeting house building major difference interior compared meeting houses traditionally meeting houses rooms divided partition termed meant separate men women meetings noticeably absent meeting house members meeting meeting house pioneers seven groups allow men women meet group friends room inside building simply divided waist high partition opposed wall friends meeting houses plain designs ornamentation individual encouraged guided inner light working building meeting house dominant decorative element building fine hand interior wood surfaces decoration seen traditional typical style meeting houses instead stands testament fact encouraged create spirit moved cemetery cemetery established soon original meeting house built burial grounds typical friends meeting houses burial grounds encouraged rules discipline burial satisfy rule separated separate sections allow area newer section contains mix descendants originally buried originally confined northern section cemetery portion directly meeting house members buried middle portion cemetery today surrounded loop gravel road traverses site recent found southernmost section cemetery meeting house entire burial ground approximately total area oriented east west burial ground covers site land planted grass trees surrounding land predominantly agricultural use nearby residences east wind farm construction significance friends meeting house particularly preserved example meeting house years building focus settlement town author described strongest settlements friends found state structure historical architectural significance example meeting house style building representative architectural type remained virtually unchanged colonial american period 19th century friends meeting house burial ground listed december
Benjaminville Friends Meeting House and Burial Ground