“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
There is certainly a hint of Autumn in the air here at the Shaker site today. For that reason, we thought we might inspire a bit of home cooking by sharing an authentic Shaker recipe for Apple Bread Pudding. This recipe is from Amy Bess Miller and Pers...
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 ...
This article appeared in 1849 and offers one woman's view of the Canterbury Shaker community. Interestingly, she seems to fixate primarily on what was missing. *******************************Morning HeraldThursday Morning, July 12, 1849A Chapter on Bab...
In the study of history, change is one of the few things that remains constant. This is particularly true among the Shakers. Something that may have been unheard of in 1823 might be truly commonplace by 1923. Rules evolved and new ideas were introduced...
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...
Spiritualism was of great interest to the Shakers and many went to presentations about the topic. For those unfamiliar with Spiritualism, it is the belief that the living can communicate with those who have passed on, often using psychically sensitive ...
Most modern people are surprised to hear that throughout their history, many Shakers thought it possible to communicate with the Spirit World. In their extensive journals, the Shakers frequently mention going to Spiritualist meetings and hosting medium...
