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. 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 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 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 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 societies

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 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 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 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.

Settlement growth The Shakers built more than 20 settlements that attracted at least 20,000 converts over 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 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 a small but important Utopian response to the gospel. Preaching in their communities knew no boundaries of gender, social class, or education.

Village organization

Bishoprics 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, 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 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.

Family groups 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 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 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 the village, or even other Shaker villages, pitched in to help the afflicted.

Communities Image Site Spiritual name Bishopric City State Dates Historic designation Alfred Shaker Village Holy Land Alfred Alfred Maine 1793–1931; NRHP Canterbury Shaker Village Holy Ground Canterbury Canterbury New Hampshire 1792–1992; NRHP New Enfield Shaker Village Chosen Vale Canterbury Enfield New Hampshire 1793–1923; NRHP Old Enfield Shaker Village City of Union Hancock Enfield Connecticut 1792–1917; NRHP Gorham Shaker Village Union Branch Alfred Gorham Maine 1808–1819 Groveland Shaker Village Union Branch Groveland Groveland New York 1836–1892 Hancock Shaker Village City of Peace Hancock Hancock and Pittsfield Massachusetts 1790–1960 NRHP Harvard Shaker Village Lovely Vineyard Harvard Harvard Massachusetts 1792–1918; NRHP Mount Lebanon Shaker Village Holy Mount New Lebanon New Lebanon New York 1785–1917 NRHP Narcoosee Shaker Village Olive Branch Union Village Narcoosee Florida 1895–1924 New Canaan Shaker Village None New Lebanon New Canaan Connecticut 1810–1812 North Union Shaker Village Holy Grove North Union Cleveland Ohio 1822–1899 NRHP Philadelphia Shakers None Watervliet Philadelphia Pennsylvania 1858–c.1910; ; ; Pleasant Hill Shaker Village None Pleasant Hill Harrodsburg Kentucky 1806–1910; NRHP Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village Chosen Land Alfred New Gloucester Maine 1794–present; NRHP Savoy Shaker Village None New Lebanon Savoy Massachusetts 1817–1821 Shirley Shaker Village Pleasant Garden Harvard Shirley Massachusetts 1793–1908; NRHP Sodus Bay Shaker Village None New Lebanon Sodus and Huron New York 1826–1836 South Union Shaker Village Jasper Valley South Union South Union Kentucky 1807–1922; NRHP Tyringham Shaker Village City of Love Hancock Tyringham Massachusetts 1792–1875; NRHP Union Village Shaker Village Wisdom's Paradise Union Village Turtlecreek Township Ohio 1805–1912; ; Watervliet Shaker Village Wisdom's Valley New Lebanon Albany New York 1776–1926 NRHP Watervliet Shaker Village (Ohio) Vale of Peace Union Village Kettering Ohio 1806–1900; Marker #6-57 West Union Shaker Village (Busro) None Union Village Busro Indiana 1807–1827 White Oak Shaker Village None Union Village White Oak Georgia 1898–1902 Whitewater Shaker Village Lonely Plain of Tribulation Whitewater New Haven Ohio 1822–1916; NRHP

Out-families, short-lived settlements, and missions 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: Numerous communities throughout New England: Cheshire, Ashfield, Richmond, Shelburne Falls, Turners Falls, Norton, Petersham, Grafton, Upton, and Rehoboth in Massachusetts; Windham, Preston, Stonington, and Saybrook, Connecticut; Guilford and Pittsford, Vermont; and Tuftonboro, New Hampshire. These emerged during the 1780s but were eventually absorbed into the larger Shaker communities.; ; ; Two families in Canaan, New York. These began in 1813, and were part of the larger New Lebanon Village. Poland Hill at Poland, Maine. This community, founded by the former residents of Gorham when that village closed, served as the North Family and Gathering Order of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village. Drake's Creek, or the Mill Family, in Warren County, Kentucky, was a venture by the South Union, Kentucky, Shakers, to establish a water-powered mill some 16 miles removed from the South Union community itself. Begun in 1817, the venture proved unsuccessful and was shut down in 1829. A community in Darby Plains in Union County, Ohio, which existed from 1822-1823. Quickly abandoned, the Shakers there relocated to the Whitewater Settlement. Missions to Straight Creek and Eagle Creek in Ohio. A short-lived settlement at Red Banks, Kentucky. Missions to San Francisco and San Diego, California, in the 1880s and 1890s. Arthur W. Dowe, from Canterbury Shaker Village, operated a mission in San Francisco for several years in the early- and mid-1890s at 948 Mission Street.; ; ; ; A small urban community of Shakers persisted in the city until the 1906 earthquake and ensuing fire. Cornelia R. Powers, of Watervliet Shaker Village, was in San Diego by the late 1880s and missionized there for several years.; ; ;

Shaker village tourism 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 was delicious, and they were hospitable to outsiders. Shakers had a reputation for honesty and their products were the best of their kind.;

Museums Alfred Shaker Museum, Alfred, Maine Canterbury Shaker Village, Canterbury, New Hampshire Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, New Hampshire Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, Massachusetts Hancock Shaker Village, Hancock, Massachusetts Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, Harrodsburg, Kentucky Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Maine Shaker Historical Museum, Shaker Heights, Ohio Shaker Historical Society, Colonie, New York Shaker Museum Mount Lebanon, New Lebanon, New York Shaker Museum at South Union, Auburn, Kentucky

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Further reading Bishop, Rufus. Elder Rufus Bishop’s Journals. 2 vols. Peter H. Van Demark, ed. Clinton, N.Y.: Richard W. Couper Press, 2018.