Abstract
In 1874, Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, had 362 members and was the second largest Shaker village. By 1900, however, it numbered only thirty-four and ranked twelfth out of the fourteen surviving societies. Canterbury, by contrast, which had 177 members and ranked sixth in size in 1874, numbered 106 in 1900, making it the second largest Shaker community. This was only ten fewer than Mount Lebanon, which had 421 members in 1874. Between 1874 and 1900, Pleasant Hill had declined by 91 percent, Mount Lebanon by 72 percent, but Canterbury only by 40 percent. In fact, in 1895 this numerical strength was so well known throughout Shakerdom, that Pleasant Hill requested Shakers be sent there from Canterbury.
What had happened at Canterbury that caused that community to supersede all others? The keys to understanding this are realizing the place or niche Canterbury occupied in Shakerdom, the decline of New Lebanon, and familiarity with the long-standing policies at Canterbury that guaranteed its survival.
Date
10-1-2024
Volume
18
Number
4
First Page
256
Last Page
289
Journal Title
American Communal Societies Quarterly
ISSN
1939-473X
