The Albany International Airport is far from flashy. Compared to the average airport acreage of around 3,000 acres, the Albany Airport sits on just 1000 acres of land, its dull exterior visible at the end of an empty, winding road. As an enlightening Google review put it, the airport is “a place of transit, not destination.” Soft whispers of noise can be heard inside, clacks of heeled shoes and whirrs of rolling suitcases echoing through the barren halls. A place that carries out its necessary functions, and nothing more.
Just past the airport, a faded blue sign stands at the entrance of a gravel road, reading, “Shaker Heritage Society: Museum and Gift Shop; America’s First Shaker Settlement”. Rocks and sediment crunch audibly underfoot, as a building with a red roof slanting into chipped white walls comes into view. A sign stabbed into a wilted patch of grass beside the building labels it as the 1848 Meeting House. Small steps lead to three green doors. Only the middle one could be opened. Amidst the dim lighting inside the entry hall, a small exhibition room is nestled on the right, glass cases enclosing Shaker furniture and clothing. To the left is a modest gift shop filled with local knick knacks huddled next to a flight of stairs. Straight ahead, a room glows softly at the end of the short hallway.
Imagine that it’s 1850. It was time for Sunday Service. You watch as the Elder and Eldress, who both held equal authority, walk through the middle green door, leading into the newly built Meeting House. Your fellow brothers and sisters follow behind them in an orderly fashion, the brothers using the door on the left, and the sisters using the one on the right. At the end of the hallway, low ceilings fall away to reveal a grand, majestic space. Smooth hardwood floors gleam as sunlight filters through the countless windows lining the walls. The room was completely empty, save for a set of risers in the back, already filled with curious spectators from the outside world. This was the only time that outsiders were allowed into your gated community, with the hopes that they might eventually become converts. Simple wooden pegs, a Shaker invention, line the walls to keep the floors clear and ready for your worship service. Enchanting hymns, choreographed dances, and testimonials fill the air, the sounds amplified by the cavernous, echoing room.
Now, up the creaky stairs by the gift shop and past the “employees and volunteers ONLY” sign taped to the wall, a singular window at the far end of the hallway is the only source of light on the second floor. Two steps from the stairs is a tiny, doorless office. Inside, Johanna looks up with a warm smile, her blue eyes sparkling.
“How is it 3pm already?” Johanna exclaims with a laugh, shutting off her clunky, square shaped monitor.
Johanna has been working at the Shaker Heritage Society as the executive director for 8 years. Having gone to school to be a paleontologist, she claims that it was a mystery to even herself that she has ended up where she is now. Due to the size of the organization, Johanna’s role is a very dynamic one, where her role and challenges shift from season to season, ranging from grant application writing to light repair work around the site. She, however, enjoys this aspect of her job, saying that “it often feels like the imagination and creativity of the people supporting you are the only limit on what can be done.”
She smiles in a satisfied way. Pauses. “…that and money. But lack of resources is one way to define a challenge!”
The Shakers were no strangers to challenges. The birth of the first Shaker community in America began with a God-given vision from a single woman. Ann Lee, who was believed to be the female embodiment of God, led a small group of 8 people from England to the “New World” in 1776, during the American Revolution.
“They had a really forward thinking vision of what a community could be,” says Johanna. “They embraced radical views for their time, including human equality across all genders and races, pacifism, celibacy, and communalism.”
Many at the time viewed the Shakers with contempt and suspicion, fearing that they were a threat to their society. The Shakers’ insistence on pacifism during a war for independence, the equal treatment towards people of color, and the equal authority that women held within the community were all seen as foreign, backward ideas. The Shakers experienced arson attacks, imprisonment, beatings, and mob violence towards their community regularly. Despite all of this, the Shakers maintained their mantra: “Hands to work, hearts to God.” Treating their work as a form of worship, they worked diligently every day, farming and crafting and selling their products to the surrounding communities. They were eventually able to grow to a height of over 6000 members across 18 different Shaker communities in the New England area.
As a Shaker, your day starts with the chime of a bell at 5am sharp. Your sisters distribute themselves throughout the dwelling house, cleaning and fixing up every room, while your brothers complete various tasks outside, milking the cows and feeding the horses. At 7am, the bell rings again. It’s time for breakfast. At the signal of the Elder and Eldress, you begin to eat. A feast had been prepared, complete with rye bread, potatoes, meat, butter, pickles, applesauce, and tea. You are then dismissed to your respective occupations, based on your skill set. Some tend to the herb garden that is used to supply the medicinal catalog, which sells over 300 products. Others craft flat brooms, another signature Shaker invention. Some make shoes, furniture, baskets, and other everyday products. You meticulously work alongside your fellow brothers and sisters, who come from all walks of life. Some may be orphans, fugitive slaves, wives who ran away with their children, debtors, or even non-Christians. Within the Shaker community, you are all part of a well oiled machine, where everyone’s equal combined efforts allow it to function and flourish as it should. You are all united under a single purpose: to contribute meaningfully to your community.
“We are always asking ourselves, ‘How can we be of service to our community?’” says Johanna, on behalf of the Shaker Heritage Society. “Our goal is to find ways to embody the values that the Shakers espoused, through our activities. We want to offer opportunities to connect with the Shaker history in a way that is very active, because it was central to them that their lives should very visibly reflect their values.”
The Moonbow series is a prime example of the Shaker Heritage Society’s efforts to make their goals a reality. Utilizing the meeting house, they bring in a variety of different local improvisational artists to perform dances, songs, and musical experiments. The flow of improvisation has many parallels with the rhythm of the Shaker workday, and the movement oriented worship services that they had once held in the very same building. These performances allow the heritage site to draw on the history that once existed there, and apply them to the present day.
The land that the Shakers occupied was once a sprawling agricultural community, encompassing an impressive 6000 acres. When the Shakers eventually declined due to their celibate way of life and the allure of job opportunities in the big cities, Albany County acquired their land and repurposed it. They adopted the Shaker buildings into office buildings or staff housing. With the empty farmland, they constructed the Ann Lee nursing home, as well as buildings that still stand to this day: the municipal jail, and the Albany airport.
Despite the physical changes to the landscape, a deep connection between the past and present remains. The impact that the Shakers left behind lingers. The Shakers stood for core values: art, trade, equality, and community. These are all things that are still relevant, and heavily influence our society today.
Johanna reflects that, “what’s old is new again. Just look at our roots and see how this local history really does carry meaning across time and space.”