Shaker Heritage Society

Museums, Historical Sites, and ZoosUnited States2-10 Employees

Shaker Heritage Society is an education and historic preservation organization.  The Society’s mission isto enrich the Capital Region by engaging the community with the founding home and enduring values of the Shakers. We do this by working to preserve the Watervliet (Albany) Shaker National Historic District, site of America’s first Shaker settlement, and by providing education programming to encourage interest in Shaker history and its influence on American culture. 

The Albany site is significant for numerous reasons.  Numerous Shaker technological and marketing innovations were developed here including the garden seed industry, flat broom and vacuum sealed tin cans.  Shakers developed innovative planned communities that emphasized gender and racial equality.  Their furniture, music and art inspired numerous important artists ranging from Nathanial Hawthorne to Pablo Picasso and Aaron Copeland.

The Society is working with property owner, Albany County to revitalize the publicly accessible portion of the Historic District which includes nine historic structures & an important Shaker cemetery.  The landscape retains much of its original rural character including an apple orchard, herb garden and open pastureland.  The property also encompasses portions of Shaker Creek and the Ann Lee Pond Nature Preserve. 

The Society offers high quality educational programs for diverse audiences and its popular craft fairs support numerous local handicraft businesses.  Our farm program introduces visitors to Shaker agricultural traditions through the presence of heritage breeds of turkeys, chickens and oxen.

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