“We make you kindly welcome.”
This is what the Shakers would say to the world’s peoples, and we offer you the same invitation.
The most successful communal society in America began 250 years ago when a small religious group in England broke away from its origins and, led by a woman, Ann Lee, sailed to America. The land across the ocean. The land where freedom of worship was offered.
The group arrived in New York City, stayed for two years, and then went north to the Albany area where members had contacts and land was available. A log cabin was erected for the small group of Believers, and over the years other buildings rose as well, including a large Shaker meetinghouse in 1848, in Watervliet, near Albany. The sect expanded its reach, with long-lived Shaker communities taking root in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Kentucky.
Commemorative events will be offered on May 3, 4, and 5 at the Shaker sites and museums near the original settlement. A program with talks and visuals will take place in the meetinghouse on May 4, and tours will be offered to the adjacent Shaker cemetery where the “leader” of the Shakers, Mother Ann Lee, is buried along with other members of the sect.
The Watervliet Shaker Heritage Society—whose mission is “to enrich the Capital Region of New York by engaging the community with the founding home and enduring values of the Shakers—will host the anniversary celebrations. All of the organizations involved offer their comments below:
“Since 1977 the Shaker Heritage Society has stewarded the site of America’s first Shaker settlement. The Shakers Utopian communal society was built on a framework of equality of men and women and all races, and they valued innovation and the pursuit of perfection through everyday work. Established in 1776 the historic site is a small oasis of Shaker buildings in a tranquil natural landscape. The museum is open Tuesday–Saturday from April through late December. The 1848 meetinghouse and the 1915 barn are venues for both community programs and private events.”
“The New York State Museum is a center of art, science, and history dedicated to exploring the human and natural history of the state. Established in 1836 it is the oldest and largest state museum in the country. From its beginning the Museum has been home to some of the nation’s leading scientists. Its collections rank among the finest in many fields, and include an excellent collection of Shaker artifacts. The collection is unique in that almost every object was obtained directly from the Shakers themselves, in the communities of Watervliet and Mt. Lebanon. As early as the 1920s, the Shakers told curators like Charles Adams at the New York State Museum the provenance for each item.”
On May 3 in the afternoon, the museum will be opening its Shaker collection in storage to a limited number of visitors who are also participating in the meetinghouse Commemorative events. The keynote speaker at the May 4 gathering in the Watervliet Shaker meetinghouse will be John Scherer, Senior Historian Emeritus, New York State Museum, who will give a powerpoint history of the entire story of the Watervliet and Mt. Lebanon Shakers and the New York State Museum.
Located at the southern end of the architecturally stunning Governor Nelson Rockefeller Empire State Plaza in Albany, the museum offers one hundred thousand square feet of space for exhibition and a variety of educational public programs. Hours are from Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 am–5 pm.
“The Shaker Museum in Chatham, NY, with more than eighteen thousand objects, also stewards the most comprehensive collection of Shaker material culture and archives. Its permanent new facility in Chatham, NY, designed by Selldorf Architects, is scheduled for completion in 2026. The museum also stewards the historic Shaker site in New Lebanon, NY, and has a campus in Old Chatham, NY, which is open year round by appointment, where the administrative offices, collections, library, and achives are housed. “On May 3 and 5, the museum will offer an open house at their Chatham facility. The museum’s collection can also be viewed online at shakermuseum.us.” In 2022 Art in America’s Shannon Mattern wrote, “Sacred Space: the Shaker Museum’s New Future Offers Opportunities for Embracing Contradictions.”
“Hancock Shaker Village is a living history museum on 750 acres in the heart of the Berkshires in Massachusetts. It is committed to preserving the Shaker legacy and sharing the relevant histories in a contemporary context. A National Historic Landmark, the property includes twenty historic buildings dating to 1783, and the oldest working farm in the Berkshires with heritage breeds and heirloom gardens. The museum is home to more than twenty-two thousand artifacts including furniture, textiles, hymnals, and everyday goods, making it one of the premier Shaker collections in the world. Shaker Village exists to provide a historic context to the Shaker story, to preserve the site and all it contains for future generations, and to bring this narrative to life in compelling ways. The village’s mission is to bring the Shaker story to life, and we work to ensure the Shakers’ continued relevance for future generations. Through multifaceted programming in art, music, farming, food, and thought, we share the Shaker legacy, strive to ignite curiosity, expand imaginations, and inspire.”
The village will offer a complimentary brunch and admissions on May 5 to those attending the overall weekend programs.
For more information, including dates and times, and to register for the events. (there are limits for several), go to the website shakerheritage.org. The deadline to register is March 25. The cost is $20.00 for a buffet lunch, all speaker programs in the meetinghouse, May 4, and a printed commemorative small booklet.
