Of all the Shaker industries, the herb business was arguably the largest and most successful. It certainly was the most financially successful Shaker industry in the latter half of the 19th century. It was a natural extension of the… Continue reading

Imagine that you are seven years old. Your family has made the decision to send you to live with the Shakers in Watervliet. This was the experience of Nehemiah White, who was admitted to the Shakers in 1830.

Celibacy was… Continue reading

Brother Arnold speaking to an enraptured audience.

Brother Arnold speaking to an enraptured audience.

On Saturday, February 23rd, Brother Arnold Hadd – one of the Shakers living in the community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine – presented a talk about Mother Ann Lee via Google Hangout. About fifty… Continue reading

Many people are surprised to learn that the Shakers promoted and practiced racial and gender equality throughout their history. The Watervliet community had the largest black population of any of the Northern or New England villages. It was here at… Continue reading

Looking for something fun for the kids while they are out of school for the week? Join us for a five-part series of kids’ craft workshops April 1-5 from 10:30-11:30 am. Participants will learn about Shaker history while completing a… Continue reading

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