Shaker costume demonstrated and reinforced unity throughout the society. Brethren were opinionated about their hairstyle and cut and wore their hair in a distinctive way: short in the front and
“Some mediums at the Church Family from New York. We go down this afternoon to a séance held in Church’s meeting room.” This entry was recorded in the Shaker Church
Shakers are one of the most pigeonholed groups in American religious history. While many aspects of these stereotypes have a basis in fact, many scholars have offered only a very
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
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,
“David Austin Buckingham and two others went to Van Schaick’s Island for pennyroyal but did not get much.” (Church Family Journal, August 17, 1842) Shakers have long been associated with
Did you know that there were several Shakers who were veterans of the American Revolution? One of the basic tenets of Shakerism is pacifism, yet warfare continuously touched the lives
On this date in 1840, Shaker journal keeper Phoebe Ann Buckingham wrote: Jesse H. comes home. Something terrible to relate. Little Tomy has sealed his fate and to the world
Most are familiar with the “Rosie the Riveters” of World War II. These strong, industrious women are immortalized through a number of familiar photographs and paintings. Yet few are aware that a generation before, thousands of women helped to keep ...
When one thinks of the Shakers, poetry rarely comes to mind. Yet some Shakers did write rhymed verses in the journals they kept for the communities. One of the most prolific was Phoebe Ann Buckingham of the Church Family of the Watervliet Shaker Commun...
