George School - Newtown, PA
N 40° 12.808 W 074° 56.085
18T E 505552 N 4451452
George School was founded in 1891 and opened in 1893. It is named for John M. George, who donated much of the money for the school. It was intended as a school for Hicksite Quakers who wanted an alternative to Orthodox Westtown School.
Waymark Code: WM841D
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 01/23/2010
Views: 7
About the School
The majority of the buildings date from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. On the fringe of the campus are a couple of pre-Revolutionary War homes owned by the school. Recently, a library was built, the first new construction on campus in a long time. George School serves grades 9 to 12. It is one of the top schools in the country and boasts and incredibly high college graduation rate of its alumni.
The Meetinghouse is one of the most important places in this Quaker community. The campus meetinghouse was originally the 12th Street Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, built in 1812, and incorporating materials dating back as early as 1755. The date can be found on the top left side, in the gable. When the 12th Street Meeting of the Society of Friends combined with Race Street Meeting in 1956 to form Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, the building became redundant. The land was sold, and the building was saved from demolition by it being dismantled and rebuilt in 1972-1974 in its present location.
About the Man
John M. George donated much of the money for the school. He believed there should be a school for Quakers and a place to find the inner light. $500,000 was made for the disposal of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends, bequeathed by the late John M. George, of Overbrook, for the establishment of a boarding school in Eastern Pennsylvania for children of Friends. (I found this in an old document).