Other members
59-649: Other members The Tyringham Shaker Settlement Historic District was a historic Shaker village on Jerusalem Road in Tyringham, Massachusetts . Among the buildings in the village were mills and workshops. There was a reduction in members prior to the American Civil War and in the 1870s the remaining "believers" moved to Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts and Enfield Shakers Village in Connecticut. In 1874
118-455: A Believer – and separation from the world. Ann Lee's doctrine was simple: confession of sins was the door to the spiritual regeneration, and absolute celibacy was the rule of life. Shakers were so chaste that men and women could not shake hands or pass one another on the stairs. Enshrined in Shaker doctrine is a belief in racial equality and gender equality. Shakers were celibate; procreation
177-447: A Shaker village required the brethren and sisters to interact, as did the dancing and other vigorous activity of their worship services. Though there was a division of labor between men and women, they also cooperated in carrying out many tasks, such as harvesting apples, food production, laundry, and gathering firewood. Every family was designed to be self-supporting with its own farm and businesses, but in times of hardship, other parts of
236-632: A message for this present age–a message as valid today as when it was first expressed. It teaches above all else that God is Love and that our most solemn duty is to show forth that God who is love in the World. In 1992, Canterbury Shaker Village closed, leaving only Sabbathday Lake open. Eldress Bertha of the Canterbury Village closed their official membership book in 1957, not recognizing the younger people living in other Shaker Communities as members. On January 2, 2017, Sister Frances Carr died aged 89 at
295-420: A small but important Utopian response to the gospel. Preaching in their communities knew no boundaries of gender, social class, or education. Shaker communities were grouped into bishoprics, which were governing units. The leadership team, called a ministry, resided in the bishopric's primary community. This ministry consisted of two men known as Elders and two women known as Eldresses. The New Lebanon Bishopric,
354-594: A small nucleus of Ministry elders and eldresses with authority over all the Shaker villages, each with their own teams of elders and eldresses who were subordinate to the Ministry. The Shaker Ministry continued to build the society after Lucy Wright died in 1821: Subsequent members of the Shaker Ministry included: Shaker theology is based on the idea of the dualism of God as male and female: "So God created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). This passage
413-455: Is because "God has no sex in our human understanding of the term; yet being pure spirit He may best be thought of by man with his limited power of comprehension as having the attributes of both maleness and femaleness". The Trinity is not viewed as being false. Instead, Shakers argue that the Trinity has been misinterpreted for being completely masculine. Ann Lee's embodiment of Christ thus completed
472-473: Is now in the town of Colonie (since 1895), and the name Watervliet is now limited to the city of Watervliet (1896). In addition, Niskayuna is now the name of a town to the northwest. This has led to some confusion, because many historical accounts refer to them as the Niskayuna Shakers, while others refer to them as Watervliet Shakers. The Watervliet Shaker Historic District is where Mother Ann Lee
531-561: The American Civil War , and its demise was hastened by the departure in 1858 of 23 individuals. In the 1870s the remaining Tyringham Shakers moved to other settlements (in Hancock, Massachusetts and Enfield, Connecticut ). In 1874 the Shakers executed a property exchange with a New York City doctor, Joseph Jones, who owned a property in Pennsylvania in which they were interested. Dr. Jones used
590-534: The Berkshire Athenaeum , Fruitlands Museums Library, Hamilton College Library, Hancock Shaker Village , Library of Congress , New York Public Library , New York State Library , the Shaker Library at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village , Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon , Western Reserve Historical Society , Williams College Archives, Winterthur Museum Library, and other repositories. As pacifists,
649-633: The Cane Ridge, Kentucky revival of 1801–1803, which was an outgrowth of the Logan County, Kentucky, Revival of 1800 . From 1805 to 1807, they founded Shaker societies at Union Village, Ohio ; South Union, Logan County, Kentucky ; and Pleasant Hill, Kentucky (in Mercer County, Kentucky ). In 1806, a Shaker village, named Watervliet , after the New York town that was the site of the first Shaker settlement,
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#1732891418546708-566: The National Register of Historic Places . The only active community is Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine, which is composed of at least three active members. The first Shaker community was established north of Albany, and was first called "Niskayuna", a rendering of the Indian name for the land. Later the town they were in was officially named Watervliet . That part of the town of Watervliet
767-563: The new Jerusalem descended from above, these are even now at the door. And when Christ appears again, and the true church rises in full and transcendent glory, then all anti-Christian denominations—the priests, the Church, the pope—will be swept away. Other meetings were then held in Manchester , Meretown (also spelled Mayortown), Chester and other places near Manchester. As their numbers grew, members began to be persecuted, mobbed, and stoned; Lee
826-524: The "second coming" of Christ, traveled throughout the eastern states, preaching her gospel views. After Ann Lee and James Whittaker died, Joseph Meacham (1742–1796) became the leader of the Shakers in 1787, establishing its New Lebanon headquarters . He had been a New Light Baptist minister in Enfield, Connecticut , and was reputed to have, second only to Mother Ann, the spiritual gift of revelation. Joseph Meacham brought Lucy Wright (1760–1821) into
885-443: The 1840s and early 1850s, with a membership between 4,000 and 9,000. Growth in membership began to stagnate by the mid 1850s. In the turmoil of the American Civil War and subsequent Industrial Revolution , Shakerism went into severe decline. As the number of living Shakers diminished, Shaker communes were disbanded or otherwise ceased to exist. Some of their buildings and sites have become museums, and many are historic districts under
944-628: The 18th century in the northwest of England ; originating out of the Wardley Society . James and Jane Wardley and others broke off from the Quakers in 1747 at a time when the Quakers were weaning themselves away from frenetic spiritual expression. The Wardleys formed the Wardley Society, which was also known as the "Shaking Quakers". Future leader Ann Lee and her parents were early members of
1003-461: The 21st century, the Shaker community that still exists—The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community—denies that Shakerism was a failed utopian experiment. Their message, surviving over two centuries in the United States, reads in part as follows: Shakerism is not, as many would claim, an anachronism; nor can it be dismissed as the final sad flowering of 19th century liberal utopian fervor. Shakerism has
1062-569: The Bride made ready for the Bridegroom, and in her, the promises of the Second Coming were fulfilled. Because of the adoptionist view of Christ only becoming divine during his baptism and the dualist idea that God was to be expressed in male and female genders, Shakers are sometimes viewed as being nontrinitarian . However, modern-day Shakers profess the divinity of Christ and claim that Shaker dualism
1121-428: The Ministry to serve with him and together they developed the Shaker form of communal living ( religious communism ). By 1793 property had been made a "consecrated whole" in each Shaker community. Shakers developed written covenants in the 1790s. Those who signed the covenant had to confess their sins, consecrate their property and their labor to the society, and live as celibates. If they were married before joining
1180-636: The Sabbathday community, leaving only two remaining Shakers: Brother Arnold Hadd, age 58, and Sister June Carpenter, 77. A profile of the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, published in The New York Times in September 2024, described Brother Arnold, aged 67 and Sister June, aged 86, preparing to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Ann Lee's arrival in New York. Brother Arnold said: “We’ve survived 250 years. We are looking forward as much as our ancestors did to
1239-467: The Shaker community as members left or died with few converts to the faith to replace them. By 1920, there were only 12 Shaker communities remaining in the United States. As of 2019 , there is only one active Shaker village: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village , in Maine . Consequently, many of the other Shaker settlements are now museums . The Shakers were one of a few religious groups which were formed during
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#17328914185461298-748: The Shaker community of Bury. The Shakers left England for the English colonies in North America in 1774. As they gained converts, the Shakers established numerous communities in the late-18th century through the entire 19th century. The first villages organized in Upstate New York and the New England states, and, through Shaker missionary efforts, Shaker communities appeared in the Midwestern states. Communities of Shakers were governed by area bishoprics and within
1357-456: The Shakers did not believe that it was acceptable to kill or harm others, even in time of war. During the American Civil War , both Union and Confederate soldiers found their way to the Shaker communities. Shakers tended to sympathize with the Union but they did feed and care for both Union and Confederate soldiers. President Lincoln exempted Shaker males from military service, and they became some of
1416-573: The Shakers in America was represented in a vision: "I saw a large tree, every leaf of which shone with such brightness as made it appear like a burning torch, representing the Church of Christ, which will yet be established in this land." Unable to swear an Oath of Allegiance, as it was against their faith, the members were imprisoned for about six months. Since they were only imprisoned because of their faith, this raised sympathy of citizens and thus helped to spread their religious beliefs. Mother Ann, revealed as
1475-700: The Shakers practice a celibate and communal utopian lifestyle, pacifism , uniform charismatic worship , and their model of equality of the sexes , which they institutionalized in their society in the 1780s. They are also known for their simple living , architecture , technological innovation, music, and furniture . Women took on spiritual leadership roles alongside men, including founding leaders such as Jane Wardley , Ann Lee , and Lucy Wright . The Shakers emigrated from England and settled in Revolutionary colonial America , with an initial settlement at Watervliet, New York (present-day Colonie ), in 1774. During
1534-586: The Shakers traded the property to a New York City doctor, Joseph Jones, for property in Pennsylvania . Dr. Jones open a summer retreat and boardinghouse called "Fernside". In 1889 the property was sold to the Tyringham Forest Club. It is now farmland. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The Shaker community was established in 1792, and flourished, acquiring more than 2,000 acres (810 ha) in Tyringham and adjacent towns at
1593-458: The Spirit fell upon them. Thriving on the religious enthusiasm of the first and second Great Awakenings , the Shakers declared their messianic, communitarian message with significant response. One early convert observed: "The wisdom of their instructions, the purity of their doctrine, their Christ-like deportment, and the simplicity of their manners, all appeared truly apostolical." The Shakers represent
1652-624: The Trinity by fulfilling the female aspect of God. Adam's sin was understood to be sex, which was considered to be an act of impurity. Therefore, marriage was abolished within the body of the Believers in the Second Appearance, which was patterned after the Kingdom of God, in which there would be no marriage or giving in marriage. The four highest Shaker virtues were virgin purity, communalism , confession of sin – without which one could not become
1711-458: The age of 21, they were free to leave or to remain with the Shakers. Unwilling to remain celibate, many chose to leave; today there are thousands of descendants of Shaker-raised seceders. Shaker religion valued women and men equally in religious leadership. The church was hierarchical, and at each level women and men shared authority. This was reflective of the Shaker belief that God was both female and male. They believed men and women were equal in
1770-469: The closure of that community in 1960, to Canterbury Shaker Village . When Canterbury closed in 1992, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village remained as the last extant Shaker commune. A Shaker village was divided into groups or "families." The leading group in each village was the Church Family, and it was surrounded by satellite families that were often named for points on the compass rose . Managing each family
1829-665: The communities individuals were grouped into "family" units and worked together to manage daily activities. By 1836 eighteen major, long-term societies were founded, comprising some sixty families, along with a failed commune in Indiana . Many smaller, short-lived communities were established over the course of the 19th century, including two failed ventures into the Southeastern United States and an urban community in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . The Shakers peaked in population by
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1888-513: The ecstatic nature of their worship services. They believed in the renunciation of sinful acts and that the end of the world was near. Meetings were first held in Bolton, England , where the articulate preacher, Jane Wardley, urged her followers to: Repent. For the kingdom of God is at hand. The new heaven and new earth prophesied of old is about to come. The marriage of the Lamb, the first resurrection,
1947-803: The faith. On April 12, of 1805 Benjamin Youngs, and two companions, held the first ceremony west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was held at the cabin of James Beedle , East of Lebanon, Ohio. In 2019, the cabin was relocated, by the Warren County Historical Society, to its current site next to Harmon Museum in Lebanon, Ohio. Mother Lucy Wright introduced new hymns and dances to make sermons more lively. She also helped write Benjamin S. Youngs' book The Testimony of Christ's Second Appearing (1808). Shaker missionaries entered Kentucky and Ohio after
2006-771: The faith. By 1787, he too had died, and Joseph Meacham assumed the role as leader. Meacham appointed Lucy Wright of Pittsfield to co-lead, and under their auspices they organized a central village in New Lebanon , as well as organizing the original settlement of Watervliet. By 1790, the Hancock Village was also organized. After the formation of the New Lebanon, Watervliet, and Hancock communities, within three years nine more communities would organize in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Maine. The Shakers built more than 20 settlements that attracted at least 20,000 converts over
2065-479: The fall of Adam and Eve and its relationship to sexual intercourse . A powerful preacher, she called her followers to confess their sins, give up all their worldly goods, and take up the cross of celibacy and forsake marriage, as part of the renunciation of all "lustful gratifications". She said: I saw in vision the Lord Jesus in his kingdom and glory. He revealed to me the depth of man's loss, what it was, and
2124-573: The fields doing farm work and in their shops at crafts and trades. Shakers worshipped in meetinghouses painted white and unadorned; pulpits and decorations were eschewed as worldly things. In meeting, they marched, sang, danced, and sometimes turned, twitched, jerked, or shouted. The earliest Shaker worship services were unstructured, loud, chaotic and emotional. However, Shakers later developed precisely choreographed dances and orderly marches accompanied by symbolic gestures. Many outsiders disapproved of or mocked Shakers' mode of worship without understanding
2183-642: The first conscientious objectors in American history. The end of the Civil War brought large changes to the Shaker communities. One of the most important changes was the postwar economy. The Shakers had a hard time competing in the industrialized economy that followed the Civil War. With prosperity falling, converts were hard to find. By the early 20th century, the once numerous Shaker communities were failing and closing. By mid-century, new federal laws were passed denying control of adoption to religious groups. Today, in
2242-406: The height of the movement's popularity. The farmstead of William Clark on Jerusalem Road was the site of the main settlement, with a satellite settlement about .75 miles (1.21 km) further north. In addition to their communal living and worship spaces, the Shakers built a number of mill buildings, workshops, and even a furnace. The population of the settlement began to shrink in the years before
2301-407: The mid-19th century, an Era of Manifestations resulted in a period of dances, gift drawings, and gift songs inspired by spiritual revelations. At its peak in the mid-19th century, there were 2,000–4,000 Shaker believers living in 18 major communities and numerous smaller, often short-lived communities. External and internal societal changes in the mid- and late-19th century resulted in the thinning of
2360-420: The next century. Strict believers in celibacy, Shakers acquired their members through conversion, indenturing children, and adoption of orphans. Some children, such as Isaac N. Youngs , came to the Shakers when their parents joined, then grew up to become faithful members as adults. As their communities grew, women and men shared leadership of the Shaker communities. Women preached and received revelations as
2419-412: The next — whatever that involves. All we have to do is be ready.” The Shakers at Sabbathday Lake "stressed the autonomy of each local community" and therefore do accept new converts to Shakerism into their community. This Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community receives around two enquiries every week. Four Shakers led the society from 1772 until 1821. After 1821, there was no one single leader, but rather
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2478-457: The primary bishopric unit, was located in New York and included the Mount Lebanon and Watervliet Shaker Villages, as well as, after 1859, Groveland Shaker Village . In addition to its own member communities, the ministry of New Lebanon Bishopric oversaw all other Shaker bishoprics and communes. After New Lebanon closed in 1947, this central Ministry relocated to Hancock Shaker Village, and after
2537-507: The property as a summer retreat they called "Fernside", and eventually operated it as a summer boarding house. He sold the property to other New York interests in 1889, which organized it as the Tyringham Forest Club. This enterprise was only briefly successful, and the property was sold at auction a few years later. Since then, the property has seen a variety of owners, and is once again a farmstead. The district features Greek Revival , Italianate style , and Federal style architecture. It
2596-417: The scribe and historian for the New Lebanon, New York, Church Family of Shakers, preserved a great deal of information on the era of manifestations, which Shakers referred to as Mother Ann's Work, in his Domestic Journal, his diary, Sketches of Visions, and his history, A Concise View of the Church of God. In addition, Shakers preserved thousands of spirit communications still extant in collections now held by
2655-595: The sect. This group of "charismatic" Christians became the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing (USBCSA). Their beliefs were based upon spiritualism and included the notion that they received messages from the Holy Spirit which were expressed during religious revivals. They also experienced what they interpreted as messages from God during silent meditations and became known as "Shaking Quakers" because of
2714-751: The sight of God, and should be treated equally on earth, too. Thus two Elders and two Eldresses formed the Ministry at the top of the administrative structure. Two lower-ranking Elders and two Eldresses led each family, women overseeing women and men overseeing men. This allowed the continuation of church leadership when there was a shortage of men. In their labor, Shakers followed traditional gender work-related roles. Their homes were segregated by sex, as were women and men's work areas. Women worked indoors spinning, weaving, cooking, sewing, cleaning, washing, and making or packaging goods for sale. In good weather, groups of Shaker women were outdoors, gardening and gathering wild herbs for sale or home consumption. Men worked in
2773-1219: The society, their marriages ended when they joined. A few less-committed Believers lived in "noncommunal orders" as Shaker sympathizers who preferred to remain with their families. The Shakers never forbade marriage for such individuals, but considered it less perfect than the celibate state. In the 5 years between 1787 and 1792, the Shakers gathered into eight more communities in addition to the Watervliet and New Lebanon villages: Hancock , Harvard , Shirley , and Tyringham Shaker Villages in Massachusetts; Enfield Shaker Village in Connecticut; Canterbury and Enfield in New Hampshire; and Sabbathday Lake and Alfred Shaker Village in Maine. After Joseph Meacham died, Lucy Wright continued Ann Lee's missionary tradition. Shaker missionaries proselytized at revivals , not only in New England and New York but also farther west. Missionaries such as Issachar Bates and Benjamin Seth Youngs (older brother of Isaac Newton Youngs ) gathered hundreds of proselytes into
2832-465: The symbolism of their movements or the content of their songs. Shaker communities The Shakers are a sect of Christianity which practices celibacy, communal living, confession of sin, egalitarianism, and pacifism. After starting in England, it is thought that these communities spread into the cotton towns of North West England, with the football team of Bury taking on the Shaker name to acknowledge
2891-498: The village, or even other Shaker villages, pitched in to help the afflicted. Some organized In addition to the organized communities, other small and very short-lived communities emerged during the history of the Shakers, as well as various missions. These included: In the 19th century, hundreds of tourists visited Shaker villages, and many of them later wrote about their experiences there. Outsiders were invariably impressed by Shaker cleanliness, prosperity, and agriculture. Shaker food
2950-944: The way of redemption therefrom. Then I was able to bear an open testimony against the sin that is the root of all evil; and I felt the power of God flow into my soul like a fountain of living water. From that day I have been able to take up a full cross against all the doleful works of the flesh. Having supposedly received a revelation, on May 19, 1774, Ann Lee and eight of her followers sailed from Liverpool for colonial America. Ann and her husband Abraham Stanley, brother William Lee, niece Nancy Lee, James Whittaker , father and son John Hocknell and Richard Hocknell, James Shephard, and Mary Partington traveled to colonial America and landed in New York City . Abraham Stanley abandoned Ann Lee shortly thereafter and remarried. The remaining Shakers settled in Watervliet, New York , in 1776. Mother Ann's hope for
3009-404: Was a leadership team consisting of two Elders and two Eldresses. Shakers lived together as brothers and sisters. Each house was divided so that men and women did most things separately. They used different staircases and doors. They sat on opposite sides of the room in worship, at meals, and in "union meetings" held to provide supervised socialization between the sexes. However, the daily business of
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#17328914185463068-545: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Shakers Other members The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing , more commonly known as the Shakers , are a millenarian restorationist Christian sect founded c. 1747 in England and then organized in the United States in the 1780s. They were initially known as "Shaking Quakers " because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services. Espousing egalitarian ideals,
3127-520: Was at its height between 1820 and 1860. It was at this time that the sect had the most members, and the period was considered its "golden age". It had expanded from New England to the Midwestern states of Indiana and Ohio and Southern state of Kentucky . It was during this period that it became known for its furniture design and craftsmanship. In the late 1830s a spiritual revivalism, the Era of Manifestations
3186-401: Was born. It was also known as the "period of Mother's work", for the spiritual revelations that were passed from the late Mother Ann Lee . The expression of "spirit gifts" or messages were realized in "gift drawings" made by Hannah Cohoon , Polly Reed, Polly Collins , and other Shaker sisters. A number of those drawings remain as important artifacts of Shaker folk art. Isaac N. Youngs ,
3245-562: Was buried. By 1780, the missionary work of the Shakers had attracted many new converts. An extensive series of trips throughout New England from 1781 through 1783 brought in followers across the entire region. Converts began appearing in New Lebanon and Canaan, New York ; Hancock , Pittsfield , Richmond , Ashfield , Harvard , and Shirley, Massachusetts ; and the states of Connecticut , New Hampshire , and Maine (then part of Massachusetts), among other locations. In 1784, Ann Lee and her brother both died, leaving James Whittaker to lead
3304-683: Was established in what is today Kettering, Ohio , surviving until 1900 when its remaining adherents joined the Union Village Shaker settlement . In 1824, the Whitewater Shaker Settlement was established in southwestern Ohio . The westernmost Shaker community was located at West Union (called Busro because it was on Busseron Creek) on the Wabash River a few miles north of Vincennes in Knox County, Indiana . The Shaker movement
3363-492: Was forbidden after they joined the society (except for women who were already pregnant at admission). Children were added to their communities through indenture, adoption, or conversion. Occasionally a foundling was anonymously left on a Shaker doorstep. They welcomed all, often taking in orphans and the homeless. For children, Shaker life was structured, safe and predictable, with no shortage of adults who cared about their young charges. When Shaker youths, girls and boys, reached
3422-500: Was imprisoned in Manchester. The members looked to women for leadership, believing that the second coming of Christ would be through a woman. In 1770, Ann Lee was revealed in "manifestation of Divine light" to be the second coming of Christ and was called Mother Ann. Ann Lee joined the Shakers by 1758, then became the leader of the small community. "Mother Ann", as her followers later called her, claimed numerous revelations regarding
3481-449: Was interpreted as showing the dual nature of the Creator. Shakers believed that Jesus, born of a woman, the son of a Jewish carpenter, was the male manifestation of Christ and the first Christian Church ; and that Mother Ann, daughter of an English blacksmith, was the female manifestation of Christ and the second Christian Church (which the Shakers believed themselves to be). She was seen as
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