The Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists
2026
Revolution!

June 12 - 13

A Saturday Symposium at Haverford College (Haverford, PA) 
with a Friday happy hour at Arch Street Meeting House (Philadelphia, PA)

The conference will be hybrid, though we encourage attendees to come in person if able!

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The Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists (CQHA) is a community that brings together those who study the history of Quakers and Quakerism with practitioners from cultural institutions that make records of the Quaker past available for scholarship. The Conference takes place every two years at locations in North America and abroad, and welcomes both Quaker and non-Quaker participants from diverse backgrounds. Under the auspices of the Friends Historical Association, the Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists is organized by a steering committee appointed by the conference group during our biennial concluding business session.

We are thrilled to invite you to this year’s conference! This year’s theme - Revolution! - calls us to explore the many ways Quakers have engaged with, resisted, and reimagined revolutionary change across centuries and continents. This conference is ideal for anyone researching Quakerism, including those who are new to learning about Quakers and Quaker history. 

Conference Schedule

Friday, June 12

10:00am - 4:00pm, Haverford College Lutnick Library 200

  • Quaker & Special Collections pop-up exhibit

  • Registration for all available, check-in for dorm rooms & receiving dorm key

5:00pm - 7:00pm(ish), Arch Street Meeting House 

  • Happy Hour and Exhibit Preview: The History of Quakers: A Religious Revolution is a dynamic new experience featuring immersive displays, untold stories, and rarely seen artifacts at Arch Street Meeting House, one of Philadelphia's most significant historic sites. 

*Friday meals on your own. There are local eateries nearby.
*Transportation between Haverford College and Arch Street Meeting House not provided. Please see below for information about transit.

Saturday, June 13

8:30am - 9:00pm, Haverford College Founders Hall

8:30 - 9:15 | Registration

9:00 - 9:15 | Welcome & coffee

9:15 - 10:45 | Session 1: Conscientious Objection

10:45 - 11:00 | Coffee break

11:15 - 12:45 | Session 2: Decision and Law-making

12:45 - 2:00 | Lunch

2:00 - 3:30 | Session 3: Changing Narratives

3:30 - 3:45 | Coffee break

3:45 - 4:15 | Session 4: Lightning Talks

4:15 - 5:30 | Business meeting

5:30 - 7:00 | Dinner

7:00 - 9:00 | Socializing - VCAM (Visual Culture, Arts, and Media center)

*Registration includes lunch and dinner on Saturday.

Sunday, June 14

While there are no official events for CQHA on Sunday, Haverford and the surrounding area is rich with Quaker meetings to worship with, and museums, parks, and libraries to visit. Haverford Friends Meeting is 10-minute walk or 3-minute drive from the dorms on campus.

Saturday Program Session Details

Session 1: Conscientious Objection

  • Roberta Dickinson: A Life of Change, John Anderies

  • Towards Greater Opportunity: Conscience, Labor, and Education at Civilian Public Service Camps #19 and #108, 1940-1947, William Beardsley

  • Between Patriotism and Pacifism: Mennonite Conscientious Objectors at Civilian Public Service Camp 103, 1943-1946, Matthew Hannigan

Session 2: Decision and Law-making

  • Interrupting Freedom: George Keith and the Colonial Contest Over Freedom of Expression, Samuel Wells

  • Friends of the Court: Quaker Scholarship in Amicus Briefs in the Department of Homeland Security Protected Areas Cases, Isaac Barnes May

  • “The Most Perfect Form of Republicanism Ever Devised”? The Debate on Quaker Governance in North America, 1820-1920, Tom Hamm

Session 3: Changing Narratives

  • White Quaker Gradualism and the Production of Unfreedom at Philadelphia’s Shelter for Coloured Children, Mélena Laudig

  • Black Resistance and the End of Quaker Slaveholding, 1754–1783, Jim Fussell

  • Lessons on Reinterpretation at Arch Street Meeting House, Sean Connolly, Jennifer Gray, Kayla D’Oyen

Session 4: Lightning Talks

  • Inward Revolution: Mary Proude Penington and the Power of Conscience, Lynare Robbins

  • The People’s Blockade: A populist campaign in the age of the automated air war, Ben Barsotti Scott

  • Analysis of Archiving and Writing of History in Kenyan Quakerism in the post-missionary context, Oscar Lugusa Malande

Registration Costs

*In-person registration & dorm reservation must be completed by May 12!*

Conference

  • In-person: $80 per person

  • Virtual (Saturday only): $15 per person

For overnight guests

There are dorms available for those who need overnight accommodations, for $35 per night. We ask that you bring your own linens and blankets, but if that is a barrier to your attendance, please let us know.

Parking and transit

Free parking will be available at Haverford College for the duration of the conference.

More information about traveling to and from campus, both via car and public transit is available: https://www.haverford.edu/maps-and-directions 

Friday evening free parking is available for all attendees in the parking lot at Arch Street Meeting House. It is at the corner of 4th and Arch Streets. 4th is one-way, you will pass Arch Street and want to be in the left lane. The parking lot is about halfway down the block on the left.

Questions? quakerhistoriansandarchivists@gmail.com
Conference Website: http://quakerhistory.org/conference
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quakerhistoriansandarchivists/