What Happened To The Shakers? / What Is The Shaker Heritage Society?

What Happened To The Shakers?, also, What Is The Shaker Heritage Society?. . , What Happened to the Shakers? , At their peak in the mid-1800s, there were 4,000 to 6.000 Shakers living in nineteen US communities. Under the leadership of Mother Ann's American-born successors, Father Joseph Meacham and Mother Lucy Wright, Shaker settlements spread west to Ohio and Kentucky, and east into Massachusetts New Hampshire and Maine. After the Civil War, due to changes in economic opportunities and a general decrease of interest in religion and spirituality, the numbers of new converts declined. Many settlements dwindled and closed. Yet, the Shaker movement is considered to be the most successful of all Utopian communities. As of 2019, there were two Believers practicing the faith in Sabbathday Lake, Maine, The Watervliet Church Family community closed in 1924 and Albany County purchased the property. For the next decade, the Trustee's Office (#2) and the Brethren's Workshop (#3) were used as "preventorium” for adults and children who had been exposed to tuberculosis. Their stay here allowed them to take the "cure” which included rest, sunshine, and fresh country air, When the Ann Lee Nursing Home (#12) was built (1926-1927) many Shaker structures were demolished and others were converted to new uses. The Meeting House (#1) became a Catholic Chapel, the Ministry (#10) housed nurses, and the Drying House (#8) became a creamery for processing fresh milk. The Laundry/Wash House (#4) continued to be used for the nursing home's laundry, View of Church Community 1868 by James Irving. The photographs of Troy photographer James Irving (1818 - 1901) offer valuable information about the Shaker community. The Shakers were posed by Irving at the Great Gate which separated the Shaker community from The World. Buildings visible in the background include (L to R) the Brethren’s Workshop, Second Dwelling House, Sisters’ Workshop, Dwelling House, Ministry and the Meeting House., In 1889, at the age of twelve, Freida Sipple and her sister Catie were sent to live with Shakers at the South Family of Watervliet. Catie later returned to “The World” but Freida remained and lived the rest of her life as a Shaker. After the death of Eldress Anna Case in 1938, the Watervliet community was closed. Freida moved with the other two remaining sisters, Grace and Mary Dahm, first to Mt. Lebanon and then to Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts. She died and was buried there in 1948., [Side 2:] , What Is the Shaker Heritage Society? , Our mission is to strengthen our community through educational programs and historic preservation focused on the Shaker ideals of sustainability, equality, compassion, cooperation, and the pursuit of a meaningful life. Since 1977, the Shaker Heritage Society has leased portions of this property from Albany County. We are working with the County to rehabilitate the historic Shaker Buildings as an important community resource., Can I Walk My Dog on the Property? , Yes! Leashed pets are welcome on the grounds at all times. Please be courteous of other visitors and pick up after your pet., Where Can I Learn More about the Shakers? , Visit our website for more information for more information on this and other Shaker sites around the country as well as for information on upcoming programs and events., Other Shaker Sites and Museums in the United States: , Canterbury Shaker Village, NH · Enfield Shaker Museum, NH · Hancock Shaker Village, MA · Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, ME · The Shaker Historical Museum, OH · Shaker Museum, Mt. Lebanon, NY · Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, KY · South Union Shaker Village, OH, ”Welcome” at the Dwelling House c. 1905. The Dwelling House stood at the north end of the Church Family complex. Sisters and Brethren lived in separate wings of the building. The daily schedule of rising, meals, work, worship, and bedtime was marked by the ringing of the bell.