SHAKER VILLAGE
Shaker Villages used to pepper the East Coast of America from the
Carolinas to New Hamphire. They started to die-out after the American
Civil War and today there are but a few genuine Shakers left. Yet,
interest in the Shaker Village culture is on the increase. Where they
are left, former Shaker Villages are being restored and being
repopulated by craftsmen and history buffs.
Most people confuse the Shakers with the Amish. No two groups could be
more different. The only commonality is their origin from the late
18th century. The early period of the American republic saw many
utopian communities with their unique philosophy and protestant
religions. The Mormons and the Amish have been the most successful in
terms of survival.
The Shakers, however, were the most successful economically. They
embraced industry and new inventions. They created some of the first
installations of our modern technology. But this was antebellum
technology and not impressive to our eyes today.
Before the Civil War everybody bought household items and clothes made
by craftsmen. They were very expensive to most people who couldn't own
more than one of each item. So, the craftsmen made their housewares to
last and added fancy adorements give them the look of a
collectable.
The Shakers took up the making of quality household goods, but used
innovation and simple design to make them more affordable to many.
Shaker goods became famous across the nation for their value. Chairs,
furniture, chests, boxes, even sweaters made the Shaker communities
prosperous.
Then came the Civil War. The war effort caused huge factories to be
built in cities across the northen states. After the war, these large
scale factories were converted to domestic production making the same
products the Shakers made. Suddenly, household goods became
surprisingly cheap due to the magic of scale of prouction. And
they continued to get cheaper, eventhough they weren't of the same
quality as craftmen and Shaker goods. The age of planned
obsolescence and disposable culture had emerged.
The Shakers also lost their good name due to their funneling of funds
to their poorer southern Shaker communities. As the country turned
against them, many moved out west to live-out their lives.
The best way to describe the Shakers is to call them a monastery for
Protestant Christians. Shakers were not allowed to marry or have
children. Men and women entered separate doors, lived in separate
houses, and engaged in separate activities. This didn't mean that
children didn't exist. People were allowed to join at any stage in
their lives. In the 19th century, most adults had lots of children.
When they joined the Shakers, as married or single parents their
children came with them. Children would have their own houses and
activities.
The Shaker community, a couple hundred strong at times, did not deal
directly with the outside world. They grew more food than they
needed and gave to the area poor, but all business dealing were done
by trustees. They trusted the trustees to sell their goods and keep
them informed. All visitors had to go through the trustees.
After some 150 years, these Shaker communities have become beautiful bucolic
landscapes. 19th Century rural dress fits in so well. Yet, it should be
stressed that Shakers were not trying to live in the past. The monastic life
needs new recruits to continue as raising families was forbidden. The few
remaining Shakers in the 20th Century even owned cars.
Someone predicted that just about the time the last Shakers die out the
world will once again become very interested in what they did and stood for.
