Watervliet Shaker Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Watervliet Shaker Historic District
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Watervliet Shaker village, Albany, New York, circa 1870, Courtesy of Shaker Heritage Society
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Watervliet Shaker Rd., Colonie, New York |
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| Built | 1775 |
| Architectural style | Shaker Style |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001160 (original) 73002247 (increase) |
| Added to NRHP | February 20, 1973 (original) September 20, 1973 (increase) |
The Watervliet Shaker Historic District in Colonie, New York, is a very special place. It was the very first community started by the Shaker people, way back in 1776. Even though the famous Mount Lebanon Shaker Society started later, Watervliet was where it all began.
Today, their old meetinghouse from 1848 has been fixed up. It's now used for fun public events, like concerts. The person who started the Shaker religion, Mother Ann Lee, is buried right here.
This historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This list helps protect important places in the United States. Part of the community's old herb garden is now where the Albany International Airport is located.
When it was founded, the community was in the old Town of Watervliet. That town no longer exists. Now, the district is in the Town of Colonie.
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Shaker Community Life
The Shakers believed that spiritual connections were more important than family ties. They organized their community at Watervliet into four large "families." Each family was like its own small, independent group. They had their own buildings and supported themselves.
All Shaker members worshipped together in the same meetinghouse. These families were known as the "Church," "North," "West," and "South" families. At its busiest time, the community had 350 members. They also owned about 2,500 acres (10 km2) of land.
In the early 1800s, a story about a father and his child joining the Shakers became very public. Because of this, the Shakers made a new rule. Married people could only join if both partners agreed to become Shakers.
Historic Buildings
The first buildings at Watervliet were simple log cabins. However, the oldest buildings still standing today were built around 1820. Each "family" house was quite large. It had a basement, three living floors, and an attic.
The kitchens, including big ones for baking and canning, were in the basement. Each house had separate wings for "sisters" and "brothers." They even had different staircases! A large hall separated the two wings. Bedrooms and sitting rooms were also separate for men and women.
Both sexes shared the dining and meeting rooms. However, they sat on opposite sides of the room. Usually, two to six Shaker members of the same sex shared a bedroom. Sadly, the buildings of the North family burned down in 1920. Other buildings were lost over time due to neglect or being torn down. Today, 22 buildings still survive.
Many people believe the buildings at Watervliet are some of the best and most well-preserved Shaker buildings.
The Meetinghouse
The current meetinghouse was built in 1848. It replaced an older one from 1791. It is a simple wooden building. It followed the Shaker rule that "Meetinghouses should be painted white without, and of a bluish shade within." This meant white on the outside and light blue inside.
It was the only white building in the community. Shaker rules said that "no buildings may be painted white, save meeting houses." The building has three doors on its northern side. These doors provided separate entrances for the brothers, the sisters, and the ministers. The ministers used the center door.
The meetinghouse was in the middle of the village. It also served as the home for the ministers. The inside was very plain. It had a large open space for dancing. Dancing was a very important part of Shaker worship.
Shaker Economy and Inventions
The Watervliet Shakers, like all Shaker communities, were mostly self-sufficient. This means they produced almost everything they needed themselves. They grew their own food and made their own clothes and tools. They only bought a few things from outside, mainly iron. They used this iron to make hardware and tools in their own workshops.
Each Shaker village also made goods to sell to people outside their community. The Watervliet Shakers had a tannery, where they made leather. They also produced many brooms for sale. They even had a small business making writing pens from brass, steel, and silver.
However, they are most famous for something else. They were among the first to sell garden seeds as a business in the United States. They were also the first Shaker community to produce and sell seeds. It is even said that a member of this community, Theodore Bates, invented the flat broom. Older brooms were usually round bundles of broom corn straw or twigs.
The Seed Business
The Watervliet Shaker seed business was very successful and made a lot of money by 1811. Before this time, people usually saved vegetable seeds from the year before. Or they traded seeds with their neighbors. The Watervliet Shakers are believed to be the first seed sellers to package seeds in small, paper envelopes. This made it much easier for people to buy and use seeds.
