The Shakers made beautiful, useful oval boxes. They were made to endure and became quite popular. We wanted to buy one, but even the tiniest box was $50.
An exhibit in the Visitor's Center featured famous people who shared their favorite Shaker things. Yo-Yo Ma loves the oval boxes.
Mama Bear was extremely excited to attend a Shaker song and dance session. The Shakers loved music. They had simple music which they sang over and over in their meetings, which, combined with some simple, repetitive dance moves, induced a hypnotic state. People would start shaking and twirling about. Some of their dancing, musical meetings would go on for 24 hours. (They always met separately--men separate from women--for meetings, as well as meals.) One of the Shakers' most famous songs (and one of Mama Bear's favorites) is "Simple Gifts."
The Shakers had some children in their community. They usually came with their parents when families converted to the Shaker religion. Many of these children left the community when they came of age. Since Shakers believed in celibacy, they did not produce children themselves, which is partly responsible for the faith dying out. Below is a children's room.
Apothecary room
Most of the rooms are very plain, in simple wood. But originally, the Shakers used bright paint in their buildings. For some reason, they did away with the paint.
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