By Marlene McTigue
Capital Region Independent Media
It may surprise you to learn that just across from bustling Albany International Airport, tucked into a quiet, wooded corner there is a place where quiet contemplation of simpler ways and times is the norm.
At America’s first Shaker settlement, located at 25 Meeting House Road, the Shaker Heritage Society stands as a testament to a place where dreams of a utopian society flourished over two centuries ago. Johanna Batman, the executive director of the Shaker Heritage Society, leads efforts to preserve and share the rich history of this unique religious movement.
The Shaker Heritage Society was founded in 1977, when a group of dedicated volunteers came together with a mission: to protect and promote the historic site from encroaching modern developments.
“This is the first Shaker settlement in the United States,” Batman said, emphasizing the site’s historical significance. “These volunteers took it upon themselves to raise awareness about why this place is special.”
The Shaker settlement’s history dates to 1776, when a small group of Shakers, led by Ann Lee, arrived in an area. The Shakers’ journey to America was driven by a profound vision—to create a heaven on earth, a new Eden, through a way of life rooted in pacifism, celibacy, communal living, and equality.
“Their project was built on the idea of restoring the Garden of Eden,” Batman said. “Through their dedication to these values, they sought to build a utopian society.”
Ann Lee, a charismatic and visionary leader, was at the heart of the Shaker movement. She believed the Shakers were chosen to live a life free of sin and that their practices, including communalism and celibacy, were the keys to achieving this. Despite living in a time when women rarely led religious movements, Lee’s leadership was unquestioned among her followers.
“She had visions, spoke in tongues, and was seen as a messenger of God by her followers,” Batman said. “She believed in equality, teaching that both men and women were created in the image of God.”
The Shakers’ arrival in America was not without its challenges. At the time, the region was still operating under a European-style feudal land ownership system, with aristocratic families owning vast tracts of land that they leased to tenant farmers, including the Shakers. It wasn’t until the mid-19th century, following the death of Stephen Van Rensselaer III—known as the “Good Patroon” for his lenient land policies—that the Shakers were able to purchase the land outright.
Under Ann Lee’s guidance, the Shaker settlement began to grow. However, her time in America was brief—she lived only nine years after arriving. Despite her short tenure, her influence was profound. Lee embarked on a two-and-a-half-year missionary journey across New England, spreading the Shaker message and establishing other Shaker communities, including the Mount Lebanon and Hancock Shaker villages.
Yet, the Shakers faced significant persecution during this period. Their communal lifestyle, pacifism and celibacy made them targets of suspicion and violence. “Ann Lee was seen as a threat,” Batman said. “She was even abducted and attacked on multiple occasions.”
Even after Ann Lee’s death in 1784, the Shaker movement continued to grow, thanks in part to the leadership structure she had put in place. Joseph Meacham, an American-born convert, was appointed as the new leader, and he made the crucial decision to appoint a woman as his co-leader, maintaining the Shakers’ commitment to equality.
“This dual leadership model became a hallmark of the Shaker community,” Batman explained. “At every level, there were male and female leaders working together.”
By the early 19th century, the Shaker settlement in Albany had grown to include four villages, with the main village, known as the Church Family, housing 80 to 100 people. At its peak, the entire community consisted of about 350 members. The Shakers lived in highly regimented communities, where everyone resided in dormitory-style buildings known as dwelling houses.
“Life here was very structured,” Batman said. “The bell on the roof would summon people for meals, prayers and work.”
The Shakers were industrious, and their communal lifestyle allowed them to become economic powerhouses in the early 1800s. They produced goods on a massive scale, including tens of thousands of brooms, medicinal herbs, and canned fruits and vegetables. However, the advent of industrialization in the mid-19th century began to erode the economic viability of the Shaker way of life.
“They couldn’t compete with the new automated processes,” Batman said.
The decline of the Shaker movement was also influenced by broader societal changes, including a shift away from the religious fervor that had characterized the Second Great Awakening.
“The Shaker lifestyle became less culturally attractive,” Batman said. “And post-Civil War, the decline became sharper.”
Despite these challenges, the Shaker movement persisted for many years. By the turn of the 20th century, however, the Shaker villages in Albany began to close, one by one. The Church Family, the central community on the site, closed in 1925. Yet, the legacy of the Shakers lived on.
The Shaker Heritage Society now preserves 25 acres of the original settlement, a small portion of the 4,000 acres that once belonged to the Shakers. While many of the original buildings were demolished in the 1920s and 1930s to make way for the construction of the Ann Lee Nursing Home, the society continues to preserve the remaining structures and educate the public about the Shakers’ enduring legacy.
Today, the Shaker Heritage Society is dedicated to keeping the spirit of the Shakers alive, even as the number of practicing Shakers has dwindled to just two. The society offers a glimpse into a way of life that, while no longer thriving, continues to inspire with its vision of equality, simplicity, and communal living.
“The Shakers were striving for something greater than themselves,” Batman concluded. “And that legacy is something we are proud to preserve.”
