The Society of Friends, or Quakers, were a small but well-known denomination in early 19th-century New England. They practiced a distinctive style of worship and were determined to maintain the integrity of their beliefs and practices. Uncompromisingly “plain” in dress, speech and manners, they were a people apart. From Maine south to Rhode Island, there were close to 100 of their severe and unornamented meetinghouses, often in small Quaker neighborhoods set off from the larger community.