The Shakers

The story of the Shakers is an American story.

In 1774, at the cusp of the American Revolution, nine Shakers, founding members of a Christian sect escaping religious persecution, emigrated from England to New York. For the first decade, they were led by the visions and actions of Ann Lee, a charismatic former textile worker from Manchester.

Known officially as the United Society of Believers, the Shakers moved upstate in 1776 and settled near Albany in what is now Watervliet. In 1787, three years after Ann Lee’s death, Mount Lebanon was established as the leading community. By 1850, six thousand followers were in 19 Shaker communities from New England west to Ohio and south to Florida.

The Shakers practices were built on self-sacrifice, self-sufficiency, service to God, work, and simple living. Shakers were pacifists and practiced racial and gender equity; they lived communally and were commercially-minded. In time, they held 50 U.S. Patents. A celibate society, their membership grew and then diminished over time.

The Shakers came of age during the industrial revolution and wholly embraced technology. They created specialized tools and adopted standardized processes, put waterpower to good use to aid their work, cross-trained their workforce and produced uniform, high-quality goods. They branded and marketed their wares widely.

Shaker practical, minimalist design, technological innovations and unique way of life have had an outsized influence on society.