In 1774, Ann Lee and a coterie of followers emigrated from England to North America in pursuit of religious freedom. The prophetess Lee, prompted by a vision she received from Christ, brought with her eight believers, all of whom adhered to the tenets of the faith prescribed by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. Followers of this faith were known more commonly as Shakers. This name was inspired by the dynamism of their style of worship that featured dancing, singing, speaking in tongues, and of course, shaking.

The Shakers’ faith centered around their belief that Mother Ann Lee was the female incarnation of Jesus Christ, which meant that the promise of the Second Coming had been fulfilled; heaven existed on earth. To live in God’s Kingdom, Shakers obeyed the gospel order. The most important virtues they observed were celibacy, communalism, confession of sin, and separation from the world.

The United Society of Believers evolved out of an earlier religious sect known as the Wardley Society that was formed in England in 1747. The freedom sought by Ann Lee and other early followers of the faith was not initially found in America. The politically fraught environment of Revolutionary America brought accusations that Lee was an English spy, while some Americans were distraught by her proselytizing, and in particular her advocacy for celibacy. In 1784, Lee and her brother, Father William Lee, fell victim to a mob attack. Their deaths cemented their legacies as religious martyrs while Shakerism gained hold in early America.

By 1785, prompted in part by the deaths of Ann and William Lee, construction had begun at Mount Lebanon under the new leadership of James Whittaker. He chose the farm of David Darrow near New Lebanon, New York to establish the first Shaker community to be formally “gathered into society order” before his death in 1787. Although not the first Shaker settlement, the village at Mount Lebanon swiftly became the parent community for all proceeding Shaker villages. After Whittaker’s death, Joseph Meachum took the helm, and under his leadership, the ministry at Mount Lebanon shaped the religious rituals, architecture, and social practices followed by the other Shaker communities.

Meachum’s most significant contribution was his interpretation of the dual nature of God as both male and female. Shaker society at Mount Lebanon began observing the equality of the sexes and in 1788, he summoned Lucy Wright to the community to be his female counterpart in leadership. Upon his death in 1796, Wright became the leader of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. Under the early leadership of Meachum and Wright, Mount Lebanon formed its characteristic architecture that would facilitate separation of the sexes, celibacy, dualism, and communalism.

In order to live separately from the world, Shakers at Mount Lebanon were largely self-sufficient. They designed and constructed their own buildings, made their own clothing, and grew their own foodstuffs. In order to earn money to purchase items they could not make for themselves, they started businesses. They became well-known for their production of furniture, herbal remedies, and garden seeds, among other products.  

At its height, the Mount Lebanon society consisted of over 600 members. By the 1820s, there were eight “families” at the site, six at Mount Lebanon and two others close by at Canaan. While the community thrived throughout the 19th century, the turn of the 20th century saw dwindling membership. The Shaker practice of celibacy contributed to the decline in population at Mount Lebanon and by 1947, the community lost its last members. The village survives today as the Shaker Museum - Mount Lebanon. It preserves and interprets 11 remaining Shaker buildings on the site that was once home to the North Family.

Works Referenced:
Lassiter, William Lawrence. Shaker Architecture. Bananza, 1966.

"Mount Lebanon Shaker Society - Shaker Historic Trail - National Register of Historic Places." National Parks Service. Accessed December 09, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/shaker/mou.htm.

Rocheleau, Paul, June Sprigg, and David Larkin. Shaker Built: The Form and Function of Shaker Architecture. Thames and Hudson, 1994.