Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village facts for kids
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Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village
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Shaker Library and schoolhouse
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | New Gloucester, Maine |
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| Built | 1782, 1783, or 1793 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000318 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | September 13, 1974 |
| Designated NHLD | May 30, 1974 |
The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is a special place in Maine, United States. It is near the towns of New Gloucester and Poland. This village is the very last active community of the Shakers, a unique religious group. As of 2021, there are three members living there.
The community started a long time ago, either in 1782, 1783, or 1793. This was when the Shaker movement was at its biggest in the United States. The main meetinghouse at Sabbathday Lake was built in 1794. Because of its history and importance, the entire village was named a National Historic Landmark in 1974.
Contents
Who Were the Shakers?
The Shakers were a religious group that began in England in 1747. They started from another group called the Quakers. Both groups believed that people could find God inside themselves, without needing special priests or ceremonies. However, Shakers often showed their feelings more during worship. They also believed in trying to be perfect, always saying sorry for their mistakes, and trying not to make them again.
Why Did Shakers Come to America?
In 1774, the Shakers moved to Colonial America. They came seeking religious freedom, which meant they wanted to practice their beliefs freely. They built 19 special communities where everyone lived and worked together. Over the next 100 years, about 20,000 people joined them.
The first Shaker village was in New Lebanon, New York. Other communities were built in states like Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Ohio. Shakers believed in celibacy, which means they did not marry or have children. So, they grew their numbers by inviting new people to join or by adopting orphans. The group was largest in 1840, with about 6,000 members.
Sabbathday Lake Shakers: A Brief History
The Shaker settlement at Sabbathday Lake began in 1782. A group of Shaker teachers, called missionaries, started it. The first members came from Gorham, Maine. In less than a year, the community grew to over 200 members!
This village was the most northern and eastern of all the Shaker communities. They built their meetinghouse in April 1794. Their first living house was built across the road in 1795.
How the Village Grew
By 1850, the Sabbathday Lake community had grown quite large. It covered about 1,900 acres and had 26 big buildings. These buildings included the meetinghouse and the Brethren's Shop. The shop still has a working blacksmith area and a place for woodworking. A large new Central Dwelling House was built around 1883 or 1884.
The Shakers worked hard to be self-sufficient, meaning they could provide for themselves. They also wanted to be a helpful part of the wider community. They built a mill and a farm. This allowed them to sell food and other goods to people outside their village.
Membership Over Time
In 1800, more than 140 Shakers lived at Sabbathday Lake. By 1850, about 70 Shakers lived in the main family area. The 1880 census showed 43 members. This number stayed about the same until the 1930s, when only around 30 members were left. As of January 2020, there were two members, but the Shakers are always looking for new people to join.
The Shaker Covenant
In 1957, leaders from another Shaker village decided to close their "Shaker Covenant." This was a document new members had to sign. In 1988, an Eldress (a Shaker leader) said that to become a Shaker, you had to sign this legal paper, and it was "locked up."
However, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is a separate community. They decided to keep their membership open and still welcome new people to become Shakers. They even reopened their worship services to the public in 1963.
Life in the Twenty-First Century
Today, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village still welcomes new people who want to explore joining the society. These people are called "novices."
As of 2006, the village has 14 working buildings. The Central Dwelling House is one of them. It has a music room, a small church, a kitchen, and a large dining room. The community still holds worship services every Sunday in the 1794 meetinghouse.
Important Buildings and Museum
The Shaker Library is another important building. It holds many Shaker records that help people learn about their history. Other old buildings include the Cart and Carriage Shed, the Ox Barn, the Girl's Shop, and the Herb House. There's even a garage built in 1910 for the group's first car!
The village has been open to visitors since 1931. That's when the Shaker Museum and Library was created. About 10,000 people visit each year.
The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum has the largest collection of Shaker items from Maine. You can see furniture, oval boxes, wooden tools, metal goods, and handmade crafts. There are also clothes, art, and herbal products. The museum has about 13,000 items! While it shows items from all Shaker communities, it focuses on preserving the history of Maine's Shaker villages.
Protecting the Future
Since Shakers do not have children, new members must join from outside the group. Many people find the idea of celibacy (not marrying or having children) a big challenge. The current members have taken steps to make sure Sabbathday Lake Village stays mostly the same, even after they are gone.
The Shakers own about 1,643 acres of land. This includes Sabbathday Lake, which is 340 acres with a long, undeveloped shoreline. There's also a 150-acre Shaker Bog. To prevent their land from being turned into housing or prisons, like some other former Shaker villages, they took action in 2001.
Conservation Efforts
They sold special agreements called "preservation and conservation easements." These agreements were sold to groups like Maine Preservation and the New England Forestry Foundation. These groups, with help from others, are working to protect the land. This means the village, farmland, and forests will be safe from new buildings.
Brother Arnold Hadd said in 2006, "We can't put up a Wal-Mart. Or a housing development. The land always has to remain for agricultural and forest purposes."
Selling these future development rights has helped the Shakers fix and care for the village buildings. They also earn money by renting out 29 small lots on Sabbathday Lake. They lease out 1,000 acres of forests, 30 acres of farms and orchards, and a gravel pit. Other ways they earn money include making crafts, basket making, weaving, printing, and making small wooden items. They have six year-round and six seasonal employees to help them.
In January 2017, Sister Frances Carr passed away. After her death, Sister June Carpenter and Brother Arnold Hadd remained. However, a newsletter from 2019 mentioned another Shaker, Brother Andrew, had joined the community.
Daily Life in the Community
The Sabbathday Lake community was one of the smaller Shaker groups during their busiest times. They farm and create many different handicrafts. Their Shaker Museum and Sunday services are open to visitors.
On the first Sunday of August, they celebrate Mother Ann Lee. This remembers when the English Shakers first came to America in 1774. The community sings, and they share a special Mother Ann cake.
A Typical Day
Here is what a typical day looks like for a Shaker at Sabbathday Lake Village:
- The day starts at 7:30 am. A large bell rings, calling everyone to breakfast.
- Morning prayers begin at 8:00 am. They read from the Bible, pray together, and have quiet prayer. They finish by singing a Shaker hymn.
- Work for the Shakers starts at 8:30 am.
- Work stops at 11:30 am for midday prayers.
- Lunch begins at 12:00 pm. This is their main meal of the day.
- Work continues at 1:00 pm.
- Dinner time is at 6:00 pm, which is their last meal of the day.
- On Wednesdays at 5:00 pm, they have a prayer meeting. After that, they have a class about Shaker history and beliefs.
The Shakers own all their property together. They also share their thoughts and confess their mistakes to each other. The village often has visitors. Arnold and June teach them how to make things like soap and bind books. The money from these workshops helps keep the village going.
The Shaker Trust
To protect their history and their beautiful lakeside property, the Shakers made an agreement in October 2005. They partnered with the state of Maine and several conservation groups. Through this agreement, the Shakers sold "conservation easements" to a trust. This means the village land will be protected from development and can continue to operate as long as Shakers live there.
The agreement does not say what will happen to the property if the Shakers are no longer there. That decision would be made by a non-profit group called the United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake Inc. Most of the people on its board are not Shakers. This plan to protect the village costs $3.7 million and relies on donations and public money.
Images for kids
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Shaker Library and schoolhouse
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The central dwelling house
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Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village
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Aurelia Gay Mace, a leader and author from Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village
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Barns at Sabbathday Lake Village
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Attending Shaker meeting, at Sabbathday Lake, 1886
