Upcoming Events at the Shaker Heritage Society

We've planned some interesting events to keep you busy while we endure the last few weeks of winter. Please join us and learn about Shaker history through these interactive workshops.

Shaker Cooking Workshops
The Shaker Heritage Society has teamed up with Diane Conroy LaCivita of the Harmony House Bakery in Cohoes to present a series of four hands-on cooking workshops. We will meet in Cohoes on Tuesday evenings in March between 6 and 8pm. These classes are a unique opportunity to learn about and experience history in a truly delicious way. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up soon!

March 1: Shaker Baking

March 8: Shaker Meats

March 15: Shaker Vegetables

March 22: Shaker Desserts

Prices for the series are:

Shaker Heritage Society Members: $40.00 Not-Yet Members: $50.00

All materials and ingredients are included in fee. Pre-Registration is required by February 25.

Please contact us at (518) 456-7890 Ext. 25 or ShakerEducator at gmail.com with questions or to register.

http://www.harmonyhousemarketplace.com/index.html

Shaker Chair Taping Class
Saturday, March 19

10:00 – 1:00

Learn how to weave a chair seat in the Shaker style. At the end of the workshop, you will have a comfortable chair you will be proud to have your guests sit on. Participants provide their own chair, chair tape and stuffing. One inch chair tape is available from the Shaker Heritage Society gift shop. We encourage participants to purchase their tape at least a few days before the class.

The class is limited to 8 participants. Cost is $30.00 per person, $25.00 for SHS Members. Please contact us at (518) 456-7890 Ext. 25 or ShakerEducator at gmail.com with questions or to register. Pre-registration is required by March 15.

Make a Twill Weave Market Basket
Saturday, March 26 10:00 – 3:30

This lovely basket is made of reed and an oak handle and is perfect to take to your favorite farmers’ market or to your own garden to gather vegetables. Height: 5” deep with a 12” tall handle. Base measures 8” X 12” Top measures 17” X 8.” This is a 5 hour class. Participants are encouraged to bring a bag lunch. All tools and materials will be provided. Cost is $60 for SHS members and $65 for not-yet members. Please contact us at (518) 456-7890 Ext. 25 or ShakerEducator at gmail.com with questions or to register.

Leaving the Community

On this date in 1840, Shaker journal keeper Phoebe Ann Buckingham wrote:

Jesse H. comes home. Something terrible to relate. Little Tomy has sealed his fate and to the world he goes. Elder Brother and Frederick W. went to Albany with him.

This entry discusses a common part of Shaker life: watching individuals leave the community. The phrase "to the world" refers to anything outside the realm of Shaker Society. People left for a variety of reasons. Some left because they were curious about life outside the Shaker community. Others went back to their families and villages. Sometimes, individuals changed their mind about living in a very controlled, religious society. In a few documented cases, couples who had met within the community left to marry and start their own families.


There is little we can do to discover "Little Tomy's" reasons for leaving. While records are available about some of those who lived in the community for many years, the stories of those that stayed for only a few months or years are more difficult to find. Thousands of people tried the Shaker lifestyle throughout the nineteenth century and only small percentage stayed. Yet it is important to remember that they often left with Shaker knowledge, ideas and values. Some remained on good terms with their former Brethren and Sisters, occasionally visiting the communities.


Frequently, the Shakers watched people leave with great sadness. Converts were truly an investment of time, resources, money and effort. Many had been trained in trades such as furniture building or herb processing. When one decided to leave, the Shakers had to accept the loss of not only the individual, but also their talents and their potential.
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Image from etc.usf.edu/clipart

Join us at our Christmas Craft Fair

Our Christmas Craft Fair recently opened and we have an amazing array of beautiful, locally made items. While we have a number of holiday items, we also have a vast assortment of gifts for all occasions.

Locally made honey and beeswax candles...

Hand-knit wool sweaters...

Handmade jewelry...

A wide selection of handmade baskets...

Paper crane mobiles...

Handmade soaps...

... And thousands of other items, just waiting to be discovered.


Please join us.

We are open Monday - Saturday, from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

We are closed on Sundays and for the Thanksgiving holiday.

October 30 - December 18

We make you kindly welcome!

Check Out Our New Website!

We are very happy to announce that we have a new website! Rick Conlee of Albany IT has worked on it and we are thrilled with the result. Be sure to go over to www.ShakerHeritage.org to check it out.

The Great Divorce

After seeing posters and other publicity for our upcoming event, many have curiously asked what a book called The Great Divorce has to do with the celibate Shakers. Yet this new work from author Ilyon Woo explores the story of Eunice Chapman, a woman who fought to regain custody of her children after her husband took them and joined the Shakers at Watervliet.

Ilyon Woo will be at the Shaker Heritage Society on Thursday, October 21st for a signing and reading. Visitors are welcome to arrive at 7:00 pm and explore the exhibit room and pick up a copy of The Great Divorce in the gift shop. The signing and reading begins at 7:30.

This article from the Troy Record explains more about the upcoming event at SHS.

This article from the Times Union offers an interview with author Ilyon Woo.

Hands to Work

On Tuesday, October 12, seven helpful students from Christian Brothers Academy visited the Shaker Historic Site and worked on a number of projects. Some cleaned out and organized the Shaker Garage (currently used for storage), while others painted picket fences and helped prepare for the upcoming Craft Fair. We were very thankful for their help and also wish to thank the teachers who accompanied the students. It was a truly productive day at the Shaker Site!

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While we are not absolutely sure it is the same school, Christian Brothers Academy students may have visited the Shaker Community (and site of their future school facility) over a century ago. According to a journal kept by one of the Shaker Brothers here at Watervliet:

July 9, 1877: Catholic School in Albany - All boys - had picnic in our field by the burying ground. Some 60 children and a dozen or more men.

June 18, 1878: 2 or 3 Christian Brothers with 60-70 of their school children having a picnic in the old field by the pond.

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As Christian Brothers Academy was founded in 1859, it is possible these entries do refer to early CBA students visiting the site.

William the Cat

William, our resident furry paperweight and pest control technician, is resting comfortably after having some feline dental work taken care of yesterday. Thanks to the very kind people at Shaker Veterinary Hospital, William now has much cleaner and healthier teeth.

For those of you unfamiliar with William, he has lived in the Shaker Meeting House for about ten years now. William was adopted from a shelter and does his best to welcome all visitors and keep the SHS staff on their toes. He has certainly made an impression on many of our visitors, as he occasionally receives mail, and now even e-mail! For our college interns (many of whom live on campus and cannot have animals in their rooms), William provides a warm, furry reminder of pets back at home.

We are very grateful to Shaker Veterinary Hospital for partially sponsoring William's procedure and providing excellent care to our four-legged coworker.

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