Who are the Shakers?
/The Shaker Heritage Society focuses on the preservation of the original Shaker settlement in America, located right here in Albany County. Their mission is the betterment of the local community through local history and education; a similar aim of our organization, Historic Albany Foundation. Because of the strong mission connection both foundations have, we have decided to host this year's Feast at the historical Shaker Barn.
Who are the Shakers?
The Shakers are a religious sect formed in 1747. Originally a part of the Quakers, a group founded by James and Jane Wardley broke off to focus on spiritual expression, something the Church of England and the Quakers were moving away from. They were known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. In 1758, a young woman named Ann Lee joined this newly founded group as was “compelled by the power of the testimonies”.
Mother ann lee
The Shakers' beliefs centered a great deal around the concept of spiritualism: the thought that spirits are real and have the ability to communicate with the living, and that during worship they received the messages of God. They also heavily believed in dualism, the confession of sin, and the second coming of Christ. Along with religious views, the Shakers were advanced in their attitude to gender and racial equality, having numerous women leaders and helping slaves cross over the Canadian border. They felt that the second coming of Christ would happen through a woman, therefore, they often looked towards women for leadership. This largely played a hand in the rise of Ann Lee to become the first leader of the Shakers.
Unfortunately, the Shakers were increasingly regarded as strange and their practices unnatural to the Church of England. In her early years as a Shaker, Ann was imprisoned in Manchester multiple times on the grounds of her strange beliefs. During her first imprisonment, Ann had a revelation from God that lust was the root of all evil, and its complete avoidance, along with proficient confession was the only way to achieve salvation. Long before her revelation from God, Ann has expressed strong revulsion toward sexual relations. In 1761 her father forced her into a marriage with a man named Abraham Stanley, who knew of her strong feelings toward celibacy. Throughout her marriage, Ann would become pregnant four times with each child dying during infancy or early childhood. Many believe that the traumatic experience of losing all of her children added to Ann’s attitude towards sex.
Mother Ann - Leader of the Shakers
Ann Lee was born in 1736, in Manchester, England. Her father was a blacksmith, her mother an extremely religious woman. The family was poor, and Ann was expected to work at a young age in order to help provide. She found solace in the Wardley’s new group and quickly became an engaged and important member.
It was during this time that the group became known as the ‘Shaking Quakers’' due to their erratic movements and dances worship. The Shakers believed that during silent meditation an individual would see the Holy Spirit, giving them the opportunity to openly confess their sins. They would then become overcome with shaking, dancing, and singing. Early into the practice, these movements were random but later choreographed moves were incorporated into worship. This gained them their title, and the name stuck.
shakers dancing during a WORSHIP service
Mother Ann Makes a Decision
Shortly after Ann’s first imprisonment in Manchester she was chosen as the leader of the Shakers and began going by the name ‘Mother Ann’. Following her second imprisonment in 1774, Ann had another revelation that the only way to escape prosecution was to move the Shakers to America. In 1774 Ann and several others including her brother and niece, made the journey to America, landing in New York City. While in New York City Ann’s husband left the group and was never heard of again. Despite their hope for a new life the Shakers again found themselves facing prosecution in the New World. Building a life here was extremely difficult for any settlers, this struggle was made even more difficult for the Shakers as they arrived right as the Revolutionary War was beginning. Because the Shakers practiced pacifism it was against their beliefs to pick a side, and they were unable to make an Oath of Allegiance. This resulted in their imprisonment for six months.
The Watervliet Settlement
Continued Growth
After Ann’s death, the settlement in Watervliet continued to grow in numbers - along with the entire Shaker population in America. In the early years of the Shaker’s establishment in America, it wasn’t required for members to live on the settlement. Many of the members chose to do so anyway, however, a handful maintained private farms in the area. In 1787 it was decided that all Shakers must give up their private land. By 1793 there were 12 Shaker settlements across New England and New York. The settlement in Watervliet reached a population of 87 by 1800; the highest it had ever been. Because of the large population increase, a need arose for a large building that could accommodate its needs. In 1784 the first Meeting House was built. It was a two-story building that could house the entire Shaker family, the term given to the community of Shakers living on a settlement. A second Meeting House was built in 1791 that was of slightly stronger standings. This Meeting House remained on the property until 1923 when it was demolished by Albany County. The third and final Meeting House was built in 1848 and consists of a stone foundation. This structure, along with a majority of the other original Shaker buildings, was completely renovated by the Shaker Heritage Society, which has allowed them to remain fully functional.
Shaker chairs
Today the remaining Meeting House at the Watervliet settlement has been used for several different purposes including the location of a museum, a shop, programming space for the organization, and a regular winter crafts market. The Shaker Heritage Barn was built in 1915 and has also been completely renovated. It is now a spacious and beautiful venue for private vents like weddings, and our Summer fundraiser, Feast, which will be held there this year. The strong passion for preservation that the Shaker Heritage Society has is a perfect match and we are so excited to work with them for this year's feast.
The Shakers in Albany
By 1776 the Shakers had finally established a settlement Northwest of Albany in the area now known as Watervliet. They now took to finding new members, with Ann and several other members deciding to focus on finding missionary work. In 1781 a small group, including Mother Ann, began a missionary journey through New England. The trip was extremely successful for the Shakers, leading to the establishment of several settlements in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. Despite this growth, the group still faced heavy prosecution from mainstream members of the surrounding community. This even resulted in several physical attacks by violent mobs who felt the Shakers were far too radical. These attacks left Ann and her brother in poor health and required them to return to the settlement in Watervliet. A year after their return, on September 8, 1784, Mother Ann passed away from poor health. She was buried in the settlement and remains there to this day.
Watevliet meeting house
As the community began to grow the Shakers relied on their strict belief in labor to help them become economically prosperous. Because Shaker communities were self-sufficient, meaning they relied on what they produced, a strong work ethic was a fundamental part of their way of life. The group became known for their handcrafted goods such as weaved baskets, chairs, flat brooms, and seeds they sold for medicinal purposes. The Shakers are also responsible for several inventions still used today including the clothespin, the wheel-driven washing machine, and the metal pen.
While the Shakers were successful in the pre-industrialized age, the American Civil War brought a new set of challenges for them. As the rest of the nation began to urbanize and industrialize the Shakers couldn’t compete in this new economy. Around this time numbers within the Shaker community began to decline. The Shakers believed that celibacy was the purest way to live and they forsaken marriage, keeping men and women separated to avoid temptations. This made them reliant on adoption and recruits to grow and maintain their numbers. By the mid-20th Century, the federal government passed several laws making it illegal for religious groups to adopt causing there to be a huge decrease in their numbers. The children they had adopted prior to the passing of these laws were given the choice to remain or leave when they turned 21, a majority chose to leave because they disagreed with the strong belief in celibacy. Numbers continued to drop throughout the 20th century and today there are only three Shakers remaining. The remaining Shakers live at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine where they continue to look for recruits to carry on the Shaker lifestyle and religion.
Shaker Heritage SOCIETY barn