Bush River Friends Meeting

The earliest Quaker meeting established in Harford county was that of the Bush River Friends at Bynum Run, though no sign of the original meeting remains today. At some point prior to 1706, Aquila Paca built a meeting house on his property near the Bush River. Court records show the property being recorded in 1709: "Order that a house built by Mr. Aquila Paca for the use of the Quakers at Bynum Run be recorded for same."

Since the meeting was never very large, it remained a preparative meeting for the whole of its existence, having first been a part of the West River meeting in Anne Arundel county. By 1722, the meeting had attached itself to the New Garden meeting and in 1730, it was attached to Nottingham when that meeting was set off from New Garden. The Deer Creek meeting, in Darlington, had originally been established as a branch of Bush river, but ultimately became its successor.

In 1748, Bush River was in need of a new meeting house and approached Nottingham for help: "in settling on a place on which to build a new meeting house, the old one being out of repair and no title to the ground on which it stands." John Lee Webster deeded to the meeting land from his tract "Best Endeavor" near Creswell and a stone meeting house was built about 1750. this building became known as the "Little Stone House" and weas a local landmark for years until it was razed in 2003.

In 1803, the meeting was moved to a building in Abingdon at the request of members from that area. The meeting dwindled in size within the next few years and was laid down in 1826.