EstablishedCLM-0135 · checked 2026-10-23
The Shakers organised celibate communal villages in which men and women lived in dormitory-style houses and held all things in common, with leadership shared by elders and eldresses.[1]
OperatingHybrid
Shaker communities (United Society of Believers)
Celibate, communal Christian villages founded in the United States from 1776 by followers of Ann Lee. They peaked in the 1840s; one village, Sabbathday Lake in Maine, remains active with a very small membership.
43.99° N · 70.37° W · Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Maine, the only active village. The movement's headquarters was Mount Lebanon (New Lebanon), New York, and its first settlement was at Watervliet
- Location
- Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, Maine, the only active village. The movement's headquarters was Mount Lebanon (New Lebanon), New York, and its first settlement was at Watervliet
- Operating since
- 1776
- Governance
- Hybrid
- Legal status
- Recognised
- Economy
- Commons / communal
- Autonomy level
- Program within an existing state
- Uses AI in governance
- No
The Shakers (formally the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing) grew from an English Quaker offshoot. Ann Lee led a small group to America in 1774 and settled at Niskayuna, near Watervliet, New York, in 1776. After her death in 1784, Joseph Meacham and Lucy Wright organised celibate villages where men and women lived in dormitory-style houses and held all things in common; the first, at New Lebanon (Mount Lebanon), New York, in 1787, became the headquarters. Elders and eldresses led jointly. By 1826 there were 18 villages in eight states. Members were admitted regardless of race. Celibacy and factory competition drove decline. Sabbathday Lake, near New Gloucester, Maine, is the only active village; Britannica reports three members in 2025. Whether newer adherents count as Shakers has been disputed.
Timeline
- 1774Ann Lee and eight followers sail from England to America. [S1]Established
- 1776The group settles at Niskayuna, near Watervliet, New York. [S1]Established
- 1787The first Shaker community is organised at New Lebanon, New York, and keeps leadership of the movement. [S1]Established
- 1826Eighteen Shaker villages have been set up in eight states. [S1]Established
- 1840The movement reaches its height in the 1840s, with about 6,000 members enrolled by Britannica's account. [S1]Established
- 1957Canterbury, New Hampshire, closes its covenant to new members; its village later dissolves, leaving Sabbathday Lake. [S2]Established
- 2025Britannica records three members at Sabbathday Lake, the only active Shaker village. [S1]Established
Outcomes & controversies
Villages were typically stable and often prosperous, known for farming, seeds and herbs, and a distinctive tradition of design, furniture and music. Most former villages are now museums; Sabbathday Lake continues as a living community and cultural centre.
Claims
DisputedCLM-0136 · checked 2026-10-23
Shaker membership peaked in the 1840s at roughly 6,000 and fell to about 1,000 by 1905; estimates of the peak vary between sources.[1][2]
EstablishedCLM-0137 · checked 2026-10-23
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine, is the only active Shaker community; Britannica reports it had three members in 2025.[1][2]
DisputedCLM-0138 · checked 2026-10-23
Whether recent adherents at Sabbathday Lake are Shakers has been contested: Canterbury's leaders closed the covenant to new members in 1957 and in 1988 questioned the membership of recent entrants, while Sabbathday Lake holds that covenants carry no sunset clause and welcomes serious converts.[1]