In 1785-1786 several Quaker families from Nantucket settled in Dartmouth to establish a whaling fleet. They remained in Dartmouth a short time but had a substantial influence on the town. In 1971, after a surge of urban renewal resulted in the destruction of many historic homes in the downtown core, the Museum Society preserved Quaker House and converted it to an interpreted historic house open to the public every summer. Originally the home of William Ray, a Cooper (barrel maker), the house is considered the oldest standing structure in Dartmouth. Quaker House is restored and furnished to reflect its 1785 construction date. The house is a municipally and provincially registered historic site. It is representative of its construction period and reflective of the Nantucket Island domestic architecture from which it is derived.

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