73-579: Other members Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is a Shaker village near New Gloucester and Poland , Maine , in the United States . It is the last active Shaker community, with two members as of 2024. The community was established in either 1782, 1783, or 1793, at the height of the Shaker movement in the United States. The Sabbathday Lake meetinghouse was built in 1794. The entire property
146-635: A chapel of ease . A feature of all these types is that often no clergy were permanently resident or specifically attached to the chapel. For historical reasons, chapel is also often the term used by independent or nonconformist denominations for their places of worship in England and especially in Wales, even where they are large and in practice they operate as a parish church . The earliest Christian places of worship are now often referred to as chapels, as they were not dedicated buildings but rather
219-488: A gravel pit . Other income sources include production of fancy goods, basket making , weaving , printing, and the manufacturing of some small woodenware. Their operation is run with the help of six year-round employees and six seasonal employees. On January 2, 2017, the community announced that female community member, Sister Frances Carr had died that day. With Carr's death, Sister June Carpenter and Brother Arnold Hadd remained. The Spring/Summer 2019 issue of The Clarion ,
292-475: A "small cape" ( Latin : cappella ). The beggar, the stories claim, was Christ in disguise, and Martin experienced a conversion of heart, becoming first a monk, then abbot, then bishop. This cape came into the possession of the Frankish kings, and they kept the relic with them as they did battle. The tent which kept the cape was called the capella and the priests who said daily Mass in the tent were known as
365-406: 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
438-553: A Mother Ann cake is presented. The daily schedule of a Shaker in Sabbathday Lake Village is as follows: The last two Shakers own all the property communally, and confess their sins to each other. The village regularly receives visitors, and Arnold and June teach them how to make soap and bind books. The money generated from these workshops keeps the village alive. To preserve their legacy, as well as their idyllic lakeside property at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village,
511-887: A cessation of sinning. The Shakers migrated to Colonial America in 1774 in pursuit of religious freedom . They built 19 communal settlements that attracted some 20,000 converts over the next century. The first Shaker village was built in New Lebanon, New York , at the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society . The other 18 communities were built in Maine, New Hampshire , Massachusetts , Connecticut , New York, Kentucky , Ohio , Indiana , Georgia and Florida . Strict believers in celibacy , Shakers maintained their numbers through conversion and adoption of orphans. The group reached its maximum size of about 6,000 full members in 1840. The Shaker settlement at Sabbathday Lake
584-451: A chapel is a place of worship, sometimes interfaith , that is part of a building, complex, or vessel with some other main purpose, such as a school, college, hospital, palace or large aristocratic house, castle, barracks , prison , funeral home , hotel, airport, or a military or commercial ship. Third, chapels are small places of worship, built as satellite sites by a church or monastery, for example in remote areas; these are often called
657-580: A dedicated chamber within a building. Most larger churches had one or more secondary altars which, if they occupied a distinct space, would often be called a chapel. In Russian Orthodox tradition, the chapels were built underneath city gates, where most people could visit them; a famous example is the Iberian Chapel . Although chapels frequently refer to Christian places of worship, they are also found in Jewish synagogues and do not necessarily denote
730-515: A larger church are holy areas set aside for some specific use or purpose: for instance, many cathedrals and large churches have a " Lady chapel " in the apse, dedicated to the Virgin Mary ; parish churches may have such a Lady chapel in a side aisle or a "chapel of Reservation" or " Blessed Sacrament chapel" where the consecrated bread of the Eucharist is kept in reserve between services, for
803-644: 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
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#1732790897170876-410: A parish church. This may be a private chapel, for the use of one person or a select group (a bishop's private chapel, or the chapel of a convent, for instance); a semi-public oratory, which is partially available to the general public (a seminary chapel that welcomes visitors to services, for instance); or a public oratory (for instance, a hospital or university chapel). Chapels that are built as part of
949-606: 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
1022-479: A specific denomination. In England—where the Church of England is established by law— interdenominational or interfaith chapels in such institutions may be consecrated by the local Anglican bishop. Chapels that are not affiliated with a particular denomination are commonly encountered as part of a non-religious institution such as a hospital, airport, university or prison. Many military installations have chapels for
1095-460: 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
1168-435: Is sometimes used as an adjective in England and Wales to describe members of such churches: for example in the sentence, "I'm Chapel." While the word chapel is not exclusively limited to Christian terminology, it is most often found in that context. Nonetheless, the word's meaning can vary by denomination, and non-denominational chapels (sometimes called "meditation rooms") can be found in many hospitals, airports, and even
1241-595: Is the Shaker Library, which houses a rich collection of Shaker records for historical research. Other historic buildings include the Cart and Carriage Shed, Ox Barn, The Girl's Shop, Herb House, Brooder House, Wood House, a garage built in 1910 for the group's first car, stable, Summer House, and the Laundry building. The village, which attracts up to 10,000 visitors a year, has been open to the public since 1931, when
1314-486: 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,
1387-657: 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,
1460-558: 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, the Shakers practice a celibate and communal utopian lifestyle, pacifism , uniform charismatic worship , and their model of equality of
1533-749: The United Nations headquarters . Chapels can also be found for worship in Judaism . "Chapel" is in particularly common usage in the United Kingdom , and especially in Wales , for Nonconformist places of worship; and in Scotland and Ireland for Roman Catholic churches. In England and Wales, due to the rise in Nonconformist chapels during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, by
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#17327908971701606-641: The capellani . From these words, via Old French , we get the names "chapel" and "chaplain". The word also appears in the Irish language (Gaelic) in the Middle Ages , as Welsh people came with the Norman and Old English invaders to the island of Ireland. While the traditional Irish word for church was eaglais (derived from ecclesia ), a new word, séipéal (from cappella ), came into usage. In British history, "chapel" or " meeting house " were formerly
1679-573: 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
1752-529: 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
1825-652: 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
1898-405: 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
1971-586: 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
2044-428: 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
2117-655: 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
2190-647: The Shaker Museum and Library was established. The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum is the largest repository of Maine Shaker culture. Examples of furniture, oval boxes, woodenware, metal and tin wares, technology and tools, "fancy" sales goods, costume and textiles, visual arts, and herbal and medicinal products are among the 13,000 artifacts currently in the Sabbathday Lake collection. Although the collection represents every Shaker Community known to have existed, special emphasis has been placed upon preserving
2263-471: 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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2336-509: The Shakers accept new people who wish to join them. In 1957, after "months of prayer", Eldresses Gertrude, Emma, and Ida, the leaders of the United Society of Believers and members of another Shaker settlement, Canterbury Shaker Village , voted to close their Shaker Covenant, the document which they claimed that new members need to sign to become members. In 1988, speaking about the three men and women in their 20s and 30s who had joined
2409-568: The Shakers and were living in the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Eldress Bertha Lindsay said, "To become a Shaker you have to sign a legal document taking the necessary vows and that document, the official covenant, is locked up in our safe. Membership is closed forever." The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is a separate Shaker settlement in its own right and continues to seek new persons to become member Shakers. The Sabbathday Lake Shakers reopened their worship services to
2482-492: The Shakers announced in October 2005 that they had entered into a trust with the state of Maine and several conservation groups. Under this agreement, the Shakers will sell conservation easements to the trust, allowing the village to stave off development and continue operations as long as there are Shakers to live there. The agreement does not specify whether the property will become a park, museum, or other public space should
2555-528: 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
2628-578: The Shakers die out. That decision would be made by a nonprofit corporation—the United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake Inc.—whose board members are largely non-Shakers. The $ 3.7 million conservation plan relies on grants, donations, and public funds. All of the following Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation is filed under Sabbathday Lake Village, Cumberland County, ME: Shakers Other members The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing , more commonly known as
2701-578: 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
2774-485: The Shakers took some preventive measures in 2001. Preservation and conservation easements were sold to Maine Preservation and the New England Forestry Foundation . These two groups, with the help of eight other public and non-profit agencies, are working to cover cost of the easements. The village and surrounding farmland and forests will be protected from development. Brother Arnold Hadd
2847-506: The Shakers' newsletter, makes reference to an additional Shaker in the community, Brother Andrew. This community was one of the smaller Shaker groups during the sect's heyday. They farm and practice a variety of handicrafts; a Shaker Museum and Sunday services are open to visitors. Mother Ann Lee is celebrated on the first Sunday of August to commemorate the arrival of the English Shakers in America in 1774. The congregation sings and
2920-642: 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
2993-458: 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
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3066-559: The community. They built a mill and farm that enabled them to sell produce and commercial goods to the outside world. By 1800, more than 140 believers lived at Sabbathday Lake community. By 1850, seventy Shakers lived in the Sabbathday Lake Church Family at New Gloucester. The 1880 census listed 43 believers at Sabbathday Lake. Membership hovered around that level until the 1930s, when only about thirty members remained. Two members remain as of September 2024, though
3139-521: 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,
3212-834: 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
3285-485: 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
3358-573: 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
3431-527: The final members of the group die. The 1,643 acres (665 ha) of land owned by the Shakers in both Cumberland County and Androscoggin County include Sabbathday Lake which is 340 acres (140 ha) with 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of undeveloped shoreline with a beach that is open to the public and the 150 acres (61 ha) Shaker Bog . Other dismantled Shaker villages were converted into housing lots or prisons. In order to avoid this fate at Sabbathday Lake,
3504-652: 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
3577-491: The heritage of the Maine Shaker Communities, including Sabbathday Lake, Poland Hill , Gorham , and Alfred . As Shakers are celibate , new members cannot be born into the group and must join from the outside. Many prospective members regard celibacy as a major obstacle which keeps them from joining. Current members have taken steps to ensure that Sabbathday Lake Village will remain largely unchanged when
3650-407: 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
3723-412: 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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#17327908971703796-537: The public in 1963. Membership to the community is still open, and occasionally "novices" explore joining the society. As of 2006, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village has 14 working buildings, including the Central Dwelling House, which includes a music room, chapel , kitchen , and large dining room . The community still holds regular Public Meetings (worship services) on Sundays in the 1794 meetinghouse. Another building with historical significance
3869-481: The road in 1795. The Sabbathday Lake community grew to a size of 1,900 acres (770 ha) with 26 large buildings by 1850. Buildings on the grounds included the meetinghouse and the Brethren's Shop, which still holds a working blacksmith shop and woodworking operation. A large new Central Dwelling House was built in 1883 or 1884. The Shakers strived to be as self-sufficient as possible, while being an active part of
3942-477: 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
4015-495: 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
4088-564: 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
4161-751: 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
4234-1367: 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
4307-465: The standard designations for church buildings belonging to independent or Nonconformist religious societies and their members. They were particularly associated with the pre-eminence of independent religious practice in rural parts of England and Wales, the northern industrial towns of the late 18th and 19th centuries, and centres of population close to but outside the City of London . As a result, "chapel"
4380-425: The stress of life, without other people moving around them. The word chapel , like the associated word chaplain , is ultimately derived from Latin . More specifically, the word is derived from a relic of Saint Martin of Tours : traditional stories about Martin relate that while he was still a soldier, he cut his military cloak in half to give part to a beggar in need. The other half he wore over his shoulders as
4453-477: The symbolism of their movements or the content of their songs. Chapel A chapel (from Latin : cappella , a diminutive of cappa , meaning "little cape") is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type of these. Second,
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#17327908971704526-508: The time of the 1851 census , more people attended the independent chapels than attended the state religion's Anglican churches. (The Anglican Church does not function as the established church in Scotland.) In Roman Catholic Church canon law, a chapel, technically called an " oratory ", is a building or part thereof dedicated to the celebration of services, particularly the Mass, which is not
4599-418: The use of military personnel, normally under the leadership of a military chaplain . The earliest Christian places of worship were not dedicated buildings but rather a dedicated chamber within a building, such as a room in an individual's home. Here, one or two people could pray without being part of a communion or congregation. People who like to use chapels may find it peaceful and relaxing to be away from
4672-957: 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
4745-529: 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
4818-401: 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 ,
4891-627: Was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. The Shakers were originally located in England in 1747, in the home of Mother Ann Lee . They developed from the religious group called the Quakers which originated in the 17th century. Both groups believed that everybody could find God within him or herself, rather than through clergy or rituals, but the Shakers tended to be more emotional and demonstrative in their worship. Shakers also believed that their lives should be dedicated to pursuing perfection, continuously confessing their sins, and attempting
4964-533: Was established by a group of Shaker missionaries in 1782, and was then known as Thompson's Pond Plantation. The first members were from Gorham, Maine. The community grew to over two hundred members in less than a year. Its location in Cumberland County , Maine, made it the most northern and eastern of all the Shaker communes. They raised their meetinghouse in April 1794 and built their first dwelling across
5037-443: 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
5110-492: 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
5183-447: 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
5256-454: 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
5329-516: Was quoted by the Boston Globe in 2006. "We can't put up a Wal-Mart . Or a housing development. The land always has to remain for agricultural and forest purposes." The sale of future development rights has enabled the Shakers to restore and maintain the structures of the village. They also make money by leasing 29 cottage lots on Sabbathday Lake, leasing 1,000 acres (400 ha) of forests, 30 acres (12 ha) of farmland and orchards and
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