First Continental Congress (1774)

Looking for a neutral, private space to hold a meeting Carpenters’ Hall provided the perfect solution for the delegates from the 13 colonies including Samuel Rhoads, a long time member of the company.  The minutes from August 1774 reflect the decision to rent the space to the Provincial Assembly for 10 shillings per day.  Delegates entered through the handsome front doors and adjourned to the room on the east side; the dividing wall that separate the spaces has long been gone.  A special perk to this arrangement were the borrowing privileges extended to the delegates by the Library Company.

Some of the Windsor chairs used by the delegates still remain, at Carpenters’ Hall and on loan to Independence National Historical Park and the Museum of the American Revolution. 

First Prayer in Congress