OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 29B ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 April 4, 2005 ************************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio And Then They Went West Know your Ohio by Darlene E. Kelley Tid Bits- part 29 B. notes from S. Kelly +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Part 29 B. Shakers in Ohio Part B. Life in the commune The new celebrate relationship between men and women is reflected in Shaker architecture. The large dwellinghouses have double doorways and double stairways. Men and women lived separately in equal housing withing the dwellinghouse; women usually on the left side and men on the right side as one looks at the facade of the dwelling. The Meetinohouse, usually built directly across from the Center family dwelling, also had double doors. Men and women would enter separately and sit opposite each other during meeting ( when not dancing ) Each Shaker family had separate shops for Brothers and Sisters in which they plied their daily trades. In the Children's Order, the caretakers of the girls were always Sisters. Caretakers of the boys were always Brothers. Often the children lived in their own house, which combined a Boys' or Girls' shop on the first floor and living quarters upstairs. The first Covenant was an oral one (1821). It was later published after the death of Mother Lucy Wright ( 1845 ). The Millennial Laws very strictly and minutely regulated the lives of the Sisters and Brothers in an effort, when dealing with so many people, to dimmish temptation. Community members were organized into families of fifty to one hundred brothers and sisters. Often they were not blood related, just related as being part of a community. Two elders amd eldresses headed each family of brothers and sisters. They were regarded as the religious heads of each family. Deacons and deaconesses helped assign work within the family. Shaker families managed their own agriculture and woodworking. Schools, barns and shops were shared among the Shaker families, although eating areas were separated by gender. To raise funds for their village most Shaker villages had trustees who sold to " the worlds people," since they regarded those in the outside world less holy than themselves. The trustees were the only one who normally dealt with the outside world, reducing the exposure of the rest of the community, On Sundays, the whole community worshipped through song and dance. This went on all morning and early afternoon. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and meditating. Again, gender separation made sure that " cohabitatin of the sexes" was minimized. Joining the Shakers had two responsibilities: being free from debt and living with the Shakers rules of celibracy and separateness. Children and partial Shakers lived separately from full Shakers in a group called Novitate Order. The Shakers also accepted orphans and adopted children into their communities. Others joined the Shakers during hard economic times, but many of them left when conditions improved. They were known as winter Shakers or bread and butter Shakers. Once they decided to fulfill all the Shakers requirements for living, they could join the main families. The opportunity to leave the Shakers was often open. many Shakers left quietly at night, when they could not be noticed. Others left normally, where they would be given some money and provisons. Difficulties arose, however, when a comunity member wanted their property back when they left. Refusing to participate in wars , the Shakers were known for pacifism. During the Civil war, settlements in Kentucky were occupied and food and shelter was provided to the Union and Confederate soldiers. Public opinion of the Shakers has been mixed. The separation of genders, breaking up natural families for communal ones, the sharing of property and goods was not liked by some. On the other hand, the equality of all people was well ahead of its time. During a time of black oppression, the Shakers accepted free and former slave African Americans. One of the reasons why the Shakers were so successful were their innovitive inventions which allowed them to work more efficiently. Among their inventions, they created new markets for " the World's people." packaged seeds, dried fruit, and excess fresh foods were sold to outsiders. As a result of their inventiveness, they managed to create surplus of food to sell. The Shakers shared all their labor, and to make lives easier, they made tools which helped them in the field and in the kitchen. For the farm, the Shakers invented the hay rake, mower, and a special plow for working on hills. They also found uses for the circular saw and spinning wheel. They also improved upon the washing machine and clothes pins. The farm was laid out logically, with neatly designed areas for wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, and herbs. Orchards and strawberry fields were in some Shaker communities, as well. Much of the hard labor utilized oxen and horses with their specially designed plow. The animals were treated with great care, as they believed that a person's character was partly based on how well he cared for his animals. The animals were cleaned carefully, provided food and housing, and werenot overworked. All the animals, including the honeybees were made comfortable through a natural air conditioning system which circulated air through the hive. Even the land was well cared for, by rotating crops and controling pests naturally. Packaged seeds is a product for which the Shakers become known for. They were the first to pack seeds in easy-to-plant packets of seeds. The types of seeds were easily recognized from the package, and were highly reliable. The Shaker farm was one of the factors which gave them their recognition and prosperity. High efficency and innovative methods allowed them to be successful as they were. The Shaker home was designed to be functionable and easy to maintain. Cleanliness was their cornerstone to Shaker homelife. The flat broom, another Shaker invention to replace the old round brooms, symbolized Shaker life. The sisters broomed the entire house every morning before breakfast, and the brothers cleaned the workshops in the afternoon. To make sweeping easier, the Shakers put wooden pegs put into wooden strops on the walls. Most of the furniture could be hung on them so that the furniture would not get in the way. Chests and cabinets were often built into the wall so that they wouldn't be able to gather dust. Furniture shared the same mentality, having simple designs that would minimize dust buildup. Desks, tables, and chests had drawers within them to store everything they needed, keeping clutter of the tops. Ventilating the houses was important to Shakers, as they believed fresh air was important for good health. The large windows allowed much light and air to enter into the house. Beginning at four or five o'clock. the Shakers rose early to pray and tidy up their home. Afterwards, the sisters went to prepare breakfast while the brothers performed more chores in the workshop. Once breakfast was ready, everybody meditated and ate silently. Afterward, the children attended school. Boys attended school in the winter, while girls attended school in the summer. After schol was over ( if they had school ), they did chores in the kitchen, garden, laundry, dairy, or worshop. The sisters, along with normal chores, practiced crafts like candlemaking and formulating herbal medicines. The brothers either worked in the fields or worked in the workshop. In the workshops, the brothers created chairs, tables, boxes, brooms, buckets, and tools. Occassionly, there would be a meeting of the Shakers to discuss community matters, such as harvests, disputes, outside news, and other information that the elder and eldress would want the whole family to hear. Brothers and Sisters would sit face to face at a distance of several feet. Dress was unrestricted at first, but dress codes were enabled later to emphasize the equality among members of each Family. Different clothes were used during work, outside-of-work, and on Sundays. The clothing was quite simple, with women wearing plain dresses and the men wearing plain shirts and pants. Shaker life stressed the community and the family. Everybody chose to be celibate while giving up marriage and family. By living as brothers and sisters, the Shakers would be more pious people. The lack of natural growth in population led to the eventual demise of the Shakers. Also, factory-made goods made the Shakers' goods less competitive in the market. In the kitchen, food for the whole community was made three times a daily by a group of cooks. They wanted to get their job done quickly and efficiently, so they devised many apparatus which would save time in the kitchen. Some of ther more ingenious inventions include the apple corer, pea-splitter, cheese press, and the double rolling pin. All their inventions directly help out their cooking. For example, through the use of the apple corer and double rolling pin, they were able to produce sixty apple pies in the time it would usually take a housewife to make two or three. A revolving oven, another adaption of theirs, could bake the sixty pies at once. Many of their goods sold were made from apples. Their canned applesauce became famous all over the country. Also, their packaging was quite unique. Using distinctive buckets and decorative labels, the Shakers produced visually appealing products. >From their apple processing techniques, they were innovators in preserving other fruits and vegetables. The Shakers extracted juices from herbs which were medicinal agents, another product they were famous for. The processing of condensed mill. The Shakers created large quanities of food, but it didn't mean that the food was any less delicious than with a small family. Their special style of cooking was unique to their communities. The Shakers cooked foods without pesticides or chemicals, ensuring the taste of their cooking. Also, the Shakers tend to cook very heavy foods. For the balance of taste, herbs and spices were used to liven up the food subtly. Shaker cooking could be reproduced since they were one of the first to use specific measurements, lengths of time, and temperatures. Their recipes were put together in cookbooks sold to the World's people. Shaker meals were quite smple affairs, without fancy tableware. Before each meal, everybody had about fifteen minutes of quiet time kneeling for silent grace. In the early years of Shaker society, meals were eaten in silence. Later on, the talking ban was lifted. The dining tables were long and simplistic. Food was eaten on plain plates on the table, without any tableclothes or other fancy goods. No food was wasted, as leftover food was used in meals the next day +++++++++++++++++ Shaker Villages >From 1805 until 1912 and even up into the 1020's, the Shakers had a great presence in the Cincinnati-Dayton area. This Shaker Town they founded in 1805 was named Union Village and was the headquarters of the Shaker bishopric in the west. It was the parent village of: ++ Watervliet Shaker Village located in Montgomery & Green Counties -- Dayton, Ohio. ++ White Water Shaker Village located in Hamilton Co., New Haven, Ohio ++ North Union Shaker Village located in Cuyahoga Co., Cleveland, Ohio ( later called Shaker Heights ) ++ Pleasant Hill & South Union Shaker Villages Located in Kentucky. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ to be continued in part 29 C