University of Lynchburg students will be on hand to answer questions about the South River Meeting House, a place of worship for Lynchburg’s early Quaker community, before and after a University co-sponsored lecture on Wednesday, April 24.
Rebecca Pickard, a Lynchburg, Virginia-based writer and researcher, will give the lecture, “‘The Last Sayings of Sarah Lynch Terrell’ and the Radical Abolitionism of South River Quakers,” at 5:30 p.m. at Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Quaker Memorial, located at 5810 Fort Ave. in Lynchburg, is adjacent to the South River Meeting House, where students will meet with visitors for 30 minutes before and after the lecture.
Earlier this semester, the students — history majors Mike Muñoz ’25, Taylor Akers ’25, and Thomas Canard ’25 — volunteered to train as tour guides.
“In February, Mike and Taylor were authorized as tour guides and began conducting tours for the public, including hosting fieldtrips of home-school students,” Dr. Lisa Crutchfield, associate professor of history, said.
“Thomas will initiate the next cohort to complete the training and join the tour guide ranks this summer.”
The upcoming lecture, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the University of Lynchburg, Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church, and the Lynchburg Museum System. The three groups formed a partnership in 2022.
“We are excited to work with the Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church and the Lynchburg Museum System as community partners on this important local history project,” Crutchfield said.
“The story of the South River Meeting House as a keystone location for John Lynch and many of Lynchburg’s prominent Quakers is intricately tied with the city’s history, past and present.
“This opportunity allows our students to apply the skills learned within the history major — quality research, clear and logical analysis, and effective communication, among others — in a practical, hands-on application.
“Having our students get that experience, while being able to help convey the history of the meeting house to a wider public audience, is a win-win.”
Dr. Elizabeth Sharrett’s Museum Exhibitions students also are involved. They’re working on interpretive displays for the meeting house.
“The students … are in the process this semester of researching, curating, and designing a permanent exhibition,” Sharrett, assistant professor of English, said, adding that the class is documenting its progress on Instagram.
“Our exhibit aims to tell the story of the [meeting house] and the Quakers who worshiped there, as well as the restoration of the space, which was undertaken by the Quaker Memorial Presbyterian Church in the 1980s.”
Land for the Meeting House, which dates from the 18th century, was donated by city of Lynchburg founder John Lynch and his wife, Mary. Lynch is buried in the adjacent Quaker cemetery. The meeting house and cemetery are registered Virginia Historic Landmarks and on the National Register of Historic Places.
For more information about the lecture, contact Carolyn Eubank ’67, member and partnership oversight committee chair of the South River Meeting House Restoration Committee, at rlcaeubank@verizon.net or 434.944.2342.
For tours of the meeting house, contact Angelica Walker, public engagement coordinator at the Lynchburg Museum System, at angelica.walker@lynchburgva.gov or 434.455.4424.
