Books, Arts & Manners: Hands and Hearts

“Hands to work and hearts to God” is the credo the Shakers have lived by for the past two hundred years. Although never numbering more than six thousand, they have had a profound influence on American life and culture.

The Shakers, so called because of the formal ritual dancing that used to be part of their religious practice, came from England in 1774, led by Mother Ann Lee. They lived a communal life and were celibate, but they raised orphans, who then could choose to become Shakers themselves or to go into the world. The Shakers established more than twenty villages throughout New England, and then moved westward as far as Kentucky and Indiana. They became famous for inventions that made everyday life easier—among them the flat broom, the clothes pin, the washing machine, the draft-free bread-raising table, the cherry and apple picker, the corer-peeler, and the circular saw. Many of the Shaker colonies have been converted into museums, where one can admire all of these objects and more; although one of the finest museums, the one in Chatham, N.Y., was never a colony—it was simply started from scratch. It contains perhaps the best and most complete collection of Shaker artifacts, including samples of the wonderful, very plain but exquisitely elegant furniture that now fetches enormous prices in the American antique market.

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Nika Hazelton

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“Hands to work and hearts to God” is the credo the Shakers have lived by for the past two hundred years. Although never numbering more than six thousand, they have had a profound influence on American life and culture.

The Shakers, so called because of the formal ritual dancing that used to be part of their religious practice, came from England in 1774, led by Mother Ann Lee. They lived a communal life and were celibate, but they raised orphans, who then could choose to become Shakers themselves or to go into the world. The Shakers established more than twenty villages throughout New England, and then moved westward as far as Kentucky and Indiana. They became famous for inventions that made everyday life easier—among them the flat broom, the clothes pin, the washing machine, the draft-free bread-raising table, the cherry and apple picker, the corer-peeler, and the circular saw. Many of the Shaker colonies have been converted into museums, where one can admire all of these objects and more; although one of the finest museums, the one in Chatham, N.Y., was never a colony—it was simply started from scratch. It contains perhaps the best and most complete collection of Shaker artifacts, including samples of the wonderful, very plain but exquisitely elegant furniture that now fetches enormous prices in the American antique market.