William Penn House History

 

 

In 1964 the Friends Meeting of Washington had a Seminar Committee. They were managing 3 programs a year, two sections of a Quaker Leadership Seminar for about 100 people, financed in part by the Chace Fund and the Board of Christian Social Concerns of the Five Years’ Meeting, plus an International Student Seminar, financed partly by the Rockefeller Foundation, using International Student House, and, finally, “cooperating closely with FCNL,” two seminars for high school students with combined Five Years’ Meeting and Des Moines AFSC sponsorship. The Audit showed receipts of $5054 for the Special Seminar Fund which ended the year with a surplus of $977.55 (Note: During this same period FMW had a Fund for the CAPITOL HILL PROPERTY at 245 Second St., NE)

 

The Seminar Committee reported much the same program in 1965. The committee included C. Edward Behre, Burns Chalmers, Deborah James, Marion Krebser, Patricia Moles, Oliver Stone, David Scull, Raymond Wilson, and Jessie Yaukey. Five of these people were central to the FCNL organizational life, one was AFSC Director of Davis House, and at least two were staff, presumably employed by FMW.

 

Writing in 1994 about his 35-year tenure at FCNL, Ed Snyder, FCNL Executive Director Emeritus, says, “In the early 1960’s, FCNL’s legislative pace increased geometrically, and the task of organizing seminars, finding speakers, and arranging appointments, housing, meals, and literature became increasingly burdensome.”

 

Ed spent the fall of 1964 with the Quaker Team at the UN, where Bob Cory was then on staff. Ed says he returned to Washington “convinced that Quakers should have a house on Capitol Hill similar to Quaker House in New York, close by the United Nations.”

 

The Early Years - Bob and Sally Cory  

 

At Friends Meeting of Washington, in its May 1966 Monthly Meeting, a minute was presented by the Trustees, a minute they had approved at a specially called meeting on April 28. The Capitol Hill Property Committee had brought to the Trustees “the need for a Quaker House in Capitol Hill, which they are now asking the Meeting to sponsor.” The Committee had located a property at 515 E. Capitol Street. Bob and Sally Cory, ready to leave the UN, were available to “host visitors and serve as coordinator of the Seminar Program.” The price was $65,000, “with a first trust of not more than $50,000; it is understood that $15,000 of the purchase price and $15,000 a year for 5 years in operating expenses have been offered by an anonymous donor.”

 

In Monthly Meeting on June 20, the proposal was discussed and implementation approved, including “a nationwide solicitation (to) prevent any additional financial burden on the Meeting.” During July the Quaker equivalent of contracts were drawn up and signed by the designated officers and the Cory’s. At the November 1966 Monthly Meeting of FMW the old Seminars Committee was reconstituted as the William Penn House Committee.

 

At that same November meeting, the Finance Sub-Committee of the Seminar Committee reported it had received $5,764.25 from 4 Quaker bodies and 33 individuals, only 3 having given the $800 asked of “founders.” Foundation appeals were pending. The Committee discussed an appeal to Baltimore Yearly Meeting members and the use of Peace Committees in monthly meetings in fund-raising efforts.

 

How it worked.

 

Bob and Sally Cory stayed as Directors until 1977 when Sally wanted to retire.   Until then they had lived at WPH with their family. In 1977, they moved to their own house in the 600 block of E. Capitol Street. Bob continued to work, 4/5 of his time on WPH programs and 1/5 at FCNL.

 

While she was there, Sally cooked, directed, worked, and oversaw a perpetually changing crew of helpers and a great variety of guests. Some had their own agendas; others needed Bob’s help in developing programs. The basement of the house was used for sleeping space and at times sleeping bags were spread on the conference room floor.

 

The Board (successor to the FMW Committee) tried to continue in the Cory tradition—a simulated family setting with food, hospitality, and meaningful activities. Betty Riley with husband Ted and their son, were resident staff for a few years, and there was at least one other couple who came from outside Washington. The House continued to serve three meals a day to guests until 1986 or 87. Volunteers, students, and others, including some from the peace church service groups, did some of the housework.   After Sally stopped work, the position of House or Residence Manager began to emerge.

 

In 1983, the Board turned to John Salzburg to direct the seminar program and Lyle Jenks to direct the residence. There was a Program Assistant also on staff. Ion the years between 1983 and 1987 the numbers of people using the house for overnights and seminars appear in Annual Reports to have increased steadily, PENN NOTES was developed as a newsletter, and a promotional slideshow was prepared. 

 

There was a staff crisis in 1987. Both John Salzburg and Lyle Jenks left. Margaret Wright of FMW knew of a Disciples clergyman who had come to our area, having chosen to leave church work, but looking for a way to join his faith with action. Margaret’s daughter had known the Greg Howell family in Elmira, New York.

 

 

The Board timidly appointed Greg Howell “Interim Director” in November 1987. Only one former staff member continued. Barbara Silverman who had been an intern stayed on as House Manager. Almost immediately on Greg’s arrival, the DC government knocked on the door, responding to a complaint from a neighbor that William Penn House was an illegal “bed and breakfast.”

 

The DC Government authorities determined that EPH was a Rooming/Boarding House, requiring a Certificate of Occupancy and a business license. Furthermore, it was necessary to renovate the building to meet Rooming/Boarding House standards. The cost of the renovations was $85,000. The Board chose to seek $51,500 in loans after drawing down the so-called “endowment.” Some of these loans were no-interest, 90-day recall and others were 5-year, 6 % interest loans. The present Board is still working to get rid of the balance of this debt, now something less than $25,000.

 

Problems were compounded by the necessity to close the House to guests for three months to accomplish the renovations, interrupting the schedule of seminars, sending regular guests elsewhere, and generating doubt about the future of WPH. Greg Howell and Barbara Silverman stayed on, becoming permanent instead of interim staff in July 1988.

 

In the six years since then, Greg has continued as Director, the House Manager has changed twice, interns have come and gone each year, a fund-raiser was brought on staff for 16 months (1989-1990) and then dropped, a full-time Office Assistant was hired, also in 1989, but the position could not be funded after December 1990. A half-time Office Assistant, Helen Jackson, has been employed since 1992. A housekeeper/custodian position has been funded since sometime in the mid-1980’s.

 

The list of groups participating in the seminar programs has expanded steadily since the 1988 closing. Often prompted and stimulated by Board members, there have been other programs in recent years, some directed towards personal spiritual development, others on timely and appropriate political or diplomatic topics. The last effort, three or four years ago, to plan a joint seminar with FCNL faltered on poor registration.

 

FCNL committees still use the house for meetings, as do other Quaker organizations, and other church groups, especially the traditional peace churches, their leaders, and their seminarians. A variety of peace and social justice groups such as Amnesty International, Mercy Corps International, the Botswana Dance Troup, and Veterans for Peace have been paying patrons in our spaces.

 

A review of recent financial statements indicates a slow return to a break-even status with an encouraging expansion of seminars and seminar income. WPH does not have a large expanding base of individual contributors and does not have growing support from Friends’ structures such as Yearly and Monthly meetings.

 

In 1993 the Board adopted new By-laws and Articles of Incorporation, then filed for and was granted independent incorporated status in the District of Columbia. Application has been made for IRS status as a non-profit educational organization (501(c) (3)). The Friends Meeting of Washington Trustees has recorded their approval for the transfer of the property to the WPH corporation as soon as the tax status is assured.