SHAKER COMMUNITIES OF MAINE Sprague' Journal of Maine History Volume VI Feb. Mar. April 1919 No. 4 page 139-146 SHAKER COMMUNITIES OF MAINE By Charles E. Waterman Having lived in the vicinity of the Shaker Communities of Poland and New Gloucester for the greater part of my life, and, having become interested, at an early age, in their singular religious services, it cannot but be considered natural I should become curious about their origin. The official name of this sect is the United Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, the name Shakers having been applied to them in derision because of the rhythmic movement of hands and arms in parts of the ceremonial of their worship; but, like many another society, they accepted this term of aspersion and have made it on of respect. Although Shakerism is a strictly American religious sect, it had its origin in England. Ann Lee, the daughter of an English blacksmith, is generally considered the founder. She was born February 29, 1736, in Man- chester, and lived in the unromantic sounding thoroughfare of Toad Lane. She is not given a pleasant disposition as a young woman, having possessed a violent temper, strong will and a desire for power intensified by hysteria. But Ann Lee did not originate the religion credited to her. There was a female John the Baptist in her case. It seems that during Ann Lee's girlhood there was a woman living at Bolton-on-the- Moors, in Lancashire, Jane Wardlaw by name, the wife of a tailor, who believed he had "received a call" to go forth and testify for the truth." The burden of her message was that the end of all things were at hand and that Christ was about to reappear taking the form of a woman as prefigured in Psalms. Jane Wardlaw and her husband belonged to the Society of Friends and that accounts for the similarity of some of the Shaker tenants with that faith. Ann Lee became a convert to Jane Wardlaw's belief. She went farther than her forerunner and proclaimed herself the reincar- nated Christ, as preached by Jane Wardlaw. She began to preach immediately in the streets of Manchester, and, like many another soap-box preacher, came in contact with the constituted authorities for obstructing the streets. She was sent to Old Bailey Prison in Manchester. While in prison, she is said to have received a vision directing her to proceed to America and lay the foundation of the Christ's Kingdom as represented by herself. On recovering her liberty she, with seven converts, five males and two females, set sail for New York. This was in 1775. Like other religious sects, Shaker tenants grew and multiplied. Environment and circumstance seem to have as much to do with forming religious as secular organizations. Although the Shaker leader has always been known as Ann Lee, yet in early life she married a blacksmith, Abraham Stanley, and had four children, all of whom died in childhood. He came to America with her, but appeared to have no faith in her religion, and soon left her. It was then that celibacy was introduced into her religion. Her teaching was that man called into grace must live as the angels who neither marry or are given in marriage. Finding New York City unfavorable to her designs, she moved first to Albany and a little later to the wilderness to a place called Niskenna, now known as Watervliet, and founded a settlement. It was in the spring of 1780 that the first American converts joined the society. A revival had been in progress in the region south of Niskenna and several converts gained. Chief among them were Joseph Meacham and Lucy Wright. These followers established a community at New Lebanon. About this time Ann Lee and her religion received considerable gratuitous advertising through a seemingly unfavorable incident. Owing to Quaker antecedents, Shakers were strong peace advocated. They denounced the Revolutionary War, then in progress, refused to do military service or take colonial oaths. These things, together with the British origin of Ann Lee and her principal followers, cast suspicion upon her and she was thrown into prison at Poughkeepsie as a British spy. Before she was given her liberty, everybody in that vicinity had heard of the female Christ and she gained a number of adherents. These adherents were quite widely scattered over the country, specially over New England, because of the many soldiers from this locality stationed in the Hudson Valley. The germs of Shakerism were thus carried to may remote hamlets. In 1781, because of this wide scattering of followers, Ann Lee undertook her firs and only missionary journey through the New England state sand some to the British provinces. She was accom- panied by William Lee, her brother; James Whittaker, chief exhort- er; John Farrington, a Baptist elder; James Shepard, Samuel Fitch, Mary Parington, Margaret Leland, Ebenezer Cooley, James Jewett and perhaps others. She did not return to Watervliet until Septem- ber, 1783. As a result of this journey quite a number of converts were secured in a number of remotely separated places and a nu- cleus made in some of them for societies. It is not certain that Ann Lee took in what is now the state of Maine in this journey, although she came near her borders on the New Hampshire side, and it seems certain she had sympathizers in some of the interior plantations. Whether she visited the District of Maine or not, the communities formed here were the result of this journey. Her trip was not a progression strewn with flowers. While she had sympathizers in a number of places, she met opposition and experienced violence in some quarters. In Harvard, Massachusetts, for example, the town voted to prosecute them and chose a committee to act in the matter. As a result Ann Lee and her followers were driven out of town by the militia. They returned later and were driven out by a mob. After a time they were allowed to settle on property owned by some of the members and form a community. While Mother Ann was eloquent and persuasive in speech, some of the action of her followers, as described by eyewitnesses, were grotesque and sometimes indecent, creating opposition. Thatcher, in his Military Journal says: They pretend to be a religious sect, but are a disgrace to religion and to human nature. They are called Shaking Quak- ers, or Dancing Quakers; but have no affinity in principle or character to the established order of Quakers. Their leader is a woman, Ann Lee, niece of Gen. Lee in our army. She is called "Mother Ann", and pretends to have received revelations from heaven. The method they practice, under the idea of religious worship, is so obviously impious as to exceed the bounds of credibility. A spectator asserts that the fantastic contortions of body in which these pretended religious exercises consist bear a semblance to supernatural impulse, and the extraordinary con- duct of these infatuated people is a burlesque of all moral and religious principles. In 1784, Mother Ann died. On her death bed, she mad over the headship of the society of Joseph Meacham and Lucy Wright. (Some authorities claim John Whitaker was chief elder for three years after the death of Mother Ann; also, it might be mentioned, that dates of Mother Ann's death and her missionary journey vary with different authorities.) They expanded the aims of the society. It was under them that community of goods was introduced. The death of Mother Ann was a shock and surprise to many of her followers. It had been thought she could not die, but the new heads explained to them, she was not dead, only withdrawn for common sight. She was yet visible to eyes exalted by grace, and so it would be with every saint who passed out of sight. They would remain near and be in union with the visible body of believers. The beginnings of Shakerism in Maine were all made during Mother Ann's missionary tour or shortly after it. The first begin- nings, in point of time, was made in Gorham. This is claimed by Hugh D. McLellan is his history of the town, to have been in about the year 1780. The missionary in this case was Henry Clough. He was accom- panied by a female Shaker whose name has not come down in his- tory to the present day. They came from Loudon, New Hampshire. The couple stopped with the family of Samuel Brown, and the first convert to the new faith was Barbara, wife of Samuel Brown. These missionaries were successful and organized quite a large family. They did not seem to have created as much sensation in Gorham as in some other places. This may have been due to actions of returned Revolutionary soldiers who had come home with new ideas about religion, gained, perhaps, from Mother Ann and her followers. These men with their female friends would become greatly excited during exhortation, would stamp, shout, froth at the mouth, and whirl around until they would fall to the ground in exhaustion. These people were called "New Lighters." It was during this reign of religious frenzy that the Shaker missionaries appeared and they gathered in most of the "New Lighters." In about the year 1781 or 1782, according to Doctor Usher Par- son's Contennial Address of the Town of Alfred, two itinerant pewter spoon makers from the state of New York, named Ebenezer Cooley and James Jewett, came to that part of Sanford which is now Alfred, plying their trade and preaching Shakerism. They claimed to belong to Ann Lee's missionary party. It is probable they came to Sanford because there were those living there who were favorable to their sect. Tradition has it that Peter and Simeon Coffin, two of the tree brothers, original settlers of what is now the town of Alfred, felt favorably inclined toward the doctrine. Converts were soon gained, although the cult was not considered desirable or even moral by many of their neighbors. They were called in derision "Merry Dancers." The original converts in Alfred were Valentine Storer, Ebenezer Buzzell, Thomas Buzzell, Charles Sargent, John Cotton, Daniel Hibbard, and Benjamin Barnes, with their families. In 1793 the society was organized under the administration of John Barnes and Sarah Kendall. They founded a village on Shaker Hill near Massa- basic Pond. Originally they owned about one thousand acres of land, but afterwards about eight hundred acres were exchanged for lands in Michigan. In November, 1783, Elisha Pote, Nathan Freeman and Enoch Waite came to Poland from the community of Gorham in the interest of Shakerism. Tradition has it these men were gifted speakers and singers. They soon gained a number of adherents. There is a tradition that missionaries from the New Lebanon com- munity in New York, members of Mother Ann's party preceded these men and that they visited Buckfield where they mad prose- lytes. Anyway, converts from that town joined the brothers and sisters in Poland and formed a community on what was then known as Shaker Hill, later Ricker Hill. This community did not live long. In 1793 they exchanged some of their land with Jabez Ricker for land in Alfred adjoining the community there. By this exchange the present great spa of Poland Spring became possible. Not all of the members of this new religion on Shaker Hill, how- ever, moved to Alfred. One or two remained. One of these, Wil- liam Allen by name, exchanged his land for other land near Sab- bathday Lake in New Gloucester in the year 1793. Through his inflence, in this very year, a Shaker revival took place in his new neighborhood, and was so successful that a family was established in it the next year, which prospered and has remained until the present time. They secured about one thousand acres of land. It might be mentioned here, that the families being of common origin retained an interest in each other. They scarcely became organized when the desire seized them to make a pilgrimage to Nis- kenna, the home of Mother Ann. Members from the communities of Gorham, Alfred and Poland hired a schooner (the Shark) of Captain Greenfield Pote, of Portland and made the pilgrimage in the fall of 1784, shortly before the death of Mother Ann. She declared she had been made aware of their coming by a vision. For some reason, the community at Gorham did not prosper. In 1819 they sold their land in that town. Some of the members went to the community at Alfred, others came to Poland, buying land on the southern slope of Ricker Hill, where they founded a new com- munity, with Samuel Pote as elder. They prospered for a time, accumulating a property assessed for $30,000; but in the course of sixty years the family had dwindled to such an extent that they sold their estate. Some of the members migrated to Alfred, while others joined the neighboring community at Sabbathday Lake. It will thus be seen that the original four communities have dwindled to two. During the years of community organization the declaration of faith was being systematized by Joseph Meacham and Lucy Wright successors to Mother Ann. In brief their covenant is:- That the Kingdom of Heaven has come and the personal rule of God is restored: that Christ has reappeared in the person of Ann Lee: that the old dispensation is ended and a new one begun: that Adam's sin has been atoned, and man has been freed of all error except his own: that the curse has been taken from labor: that believers going into grace die to the world and enter a new life which is heaven, where there is no mar- riage, and death but transfiguration. Believing such a theology, the life they lead is made possible. Being dead to the world they can have no interest in personal property, neither in dress. There being no sexual intercourse, family life is universal, hence the community. They live largely from the soil, their farms and gardens being noted for their beauty and productivity. Having neither husband, wife or child, the affection naturally destowed on these is lavished on plant and animal. The curse of labor being removed it had be- come a priestly duty. Living a community life they depend upon the products of the soil and forest into useful articles. If there is a surplus, it is sold to the world or exchanged for things not raised or produced. Shakers have been so true to their religious principles, so industrious and so moral that the prejudice against them has dis- appeared and they are respected even if set apart from the rest of the world. Being dead to the world and spirits, they antedated Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy in banishing the doctor and administering no drugs. The health of Shakers has been proverbial. Joseph Meacham died in 1796, when Lucy Wright became sole head, governing the united societies for twenty-five years. Shakerism gained great impetus during the closing years of the Revolution, and its prosperity continued for about a century. Since then they have declined. In 1870, when at the hight of prosperity the united communities numbered about 9,000 souls, including eighteen communities, three of which were located in New York four in Massachusetts, two in New Hampshire, two in Maine, one in Connecticut, four in Ohio and two in Kentucky. The two communities in Maine have shared in the prosperity and decline of the United Communities. There being no children born in the communities, adoptions were the rule for continuance and increase. Any one was free to depart. If one became a covenantor, he cast his property and lot within the community. For a time adoptions and probationers kept up the membership, but of late their numbers have fallen off. Their quaintness of appearance through singularity of dress, their simplicity of life, and the rhythmic motion of their religious ceremonies have attracted attention to Shakers in every community in which they reside; and this attraction has found voice in some of the best literature of the land. To say nothing of professional "Shakers and Shakerism," issued in 1884 by Giles B. Avery, we have that classic By Willliam Dan Howels, "The Undiscovered Country"; also the humorous side of Shaker life as seen by Charles Farrar Brown, better known as Artemus Ward, who worked sev- eral years on newspaper in Norway, a village only a few miles distant from Poland, and, who, no doubt visited the community then. One of the best of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales is the Shaker Bridal, no doubt suggested by the Poland and Sab- bathday Lake communities, for this literary genius, during his boy- hood, lived in Raymond only a few miles distant from them. (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by noncommercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. 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