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Identity, Place, Religion, and Narrative at New Lebanon Shaker Village 1759-1861 by Marcus Réginald Létourneau

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Identity, Place, Religion, and Narrative at New Lebanon Shaker Village 1759-1861 by Marcus Réginald Létourneau HOLY MOUNT: Identity, Place, Religion, and Narrative at New Lebanon Shaker Village 1759-1861 by Marcus Réginald Létourneau A thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University at Kingston Kingston, Ontario, Canada May 2009 copyright© Marcus Réginald Létourneau i ABSTRACT While the Shakers are associated in North American with simplicity and communalism, an examination of Shaker history reveals a dynamic and complex society. Shaker life was structured by a powerful metanarrative: the Shakers were the ‘Chosen People of God,’ who lived in ‘His Promised Land.’ This narrative, which is profoundly geographical due to its intertwining of people with place, was not static in its interpretation. Nevertheless, it served as the basis for the discourses concerning the most appropriate means to live in the World, but not be of it. Few geographers have examined religiosity and spirituality systematically. This research highlights the interaction between religiosity, identity, place, and narrative as an essential element of the human condition. Religiosity is expressed through narratives and rituals and buttresses a sense of identity and belonging in place. Particular expressions of the Shaker covenantal narrative were shaped by the places in which the Shakers existed. This work examines the Shaker experience at New Lebanon Shaker Village (New York) focusing on the antebellum period. It examines the context in which the Shakers existed, the shifts in the interpretations of the Shaker covenantal narratives, and the means by which the Shaker leadership disseminated their ideas. ii For Matthew Emile: “I must study politics and war that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural science, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.” John Adams. May 12, 1780 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project would not have succeeded without the support of many people. First and foremost I must thank my family. My parents, Réginald and Shirley, have provided emotional and financial support as well as the necessary criticism throughout my entire academic adventure. They have been steadfast supporters of me and I could not have done this without them. My partner (in every sense of the word) Ginny has served as my editor, my research assistant, my travel companion, and my cheerleader. She is one of the main reasons I was able to complete such a monumental task. My son Matthew has served as my muse and as a steadfast reminder that there is much more in life. I have also been privileged to have studied under the tutelage of Dr. Anne Godlewska. Her dedication to my work and to me has been remarkable. She has supported me intellectually and financially, in the process becoming both a colleague and a friend. I thank my examination committee for their willingness to examine this dissertation and to provide comment. I must particularly thank Dr. Brian Osborne for the feedback and support he has given me throughout my academic career. I must also thank a number of other people. Jerry Grant and Sharon Duane Koomler of the Shaker Museum and Library introduced me to New Lebanon and to the complex history of the Shakers. Brother Arnold Hadd and the whole of the Shaker Community at Sabbathday Lake not only extended their hospitality and their home to me when I visited on research trips, but also encouraged me to examine the history of New Lebanon iv critically. Christian Goodwillie and the staff of Hancock Shaker Village provided tremendous support and access to their wonderful archival collection. The staff at Williams College Archives, the New York State Museum, the New York State Library, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Winterthur also contributed to this work in valuable ways. To all of you, Thank You. Without all of you, this would not have been possible. Any errors or omissions are of my own accord. Marcus Réginald Létourneau May 2009 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract i Dedication ii Acknowledgments iii Table of Contents v List of Illustrations vii Copyright Act. Section 29: Fair Dealings ix Note on Manuscript Material x Preface xi Chapter 1: Introduction 1 “Origins” 3 Shakerism as a way of life 11 “The Narrow Path to Zion” 15 Research Questions and Outline 17 Chapter 2: The Relationship between Place, Identity, and Narrative 20 Geography and Religion: Criticism and Opportunity 21 Identity, Place, and Narrative 26 Utopia and Religious Communities 36 Narrative Analysis 47 The Inseparability of Narrative, Place, and Identity 49 Chapter 3: Contextualizing the New Lebanon Shakers 51 Shaker Origins 53 A City on the Hill: A Religious Place 61 Borderland: A Contested Place 77 The Yankee Zone 83 The Importance of Contextual Places 93 Chapter 4: Shaping the Shakers and America: Between the Revolution 95 and the Civil War Building New Lebanon 96 A Dynamic and Transforming Place 102 The Shakers as Dynamic Group 117 A Changing Time and Place 133 Chapter 5: Covenants and Community: A House Founded on a Rock. 134 A Shaker Meta-Narrative. 134 The Covenantal Narrative 135 The Shaker Community 144 The Spiritual Covenant and the Temporal Covenant 148 God’s Places 157 Chapter 6:Engaging the Shaker Meta-narrative 158 Introduction: Engaging the Shaker Meta-Narrative 158 Expressing Shaker Life through Place: A Dynamic Process 159 The Earthly Zion 161 Communal Life 174 vi Rules and Regulations 182 The Shaker relationship with the World and its People 191 Conclusion 201 Chapter 7: Building Zion 203 Introduction 203 The Shaker Village and Place 204 Nested Places 208 New Lebanon as a Dynamic Place 219 The Shaker use of landscapes 223 The Dwelling House 234 The Meeting House 242 The Office 255 Agriculture and Industry 257 The Holy Mount 264. A Model for Others 269 Conclusion: Manifesting Belief in Physical Form 271 Chapter 8: Disseminating the Visions of Zion from New Lebanon 274 Introduction 274 Placing New Lebanon 275 Written Communication 281 Spiritual Exhortation and Emotional Support 282 Government 285 Circular Epistles and Written Regulations 292 Cartographic Works 295 Shaker Publishing 301 Conclusion: Disseminating the Shaker Message 309 Chapter 9: Epilogue 311 Concluding Thoughts 311 Future Research 316 Bibliography 319 Appendix A 365 Appendix B 366 Appendix C 373 Appendix D 378 Appendix E 393 Appendix F 395 Appendix G 398 Appendix H 401 vii List of Illustrations Figure 1-1: Shaker Settlements in the United States 4 Figure 1-2: Dining Room 8 Figure 1-3: Sitting Room 8 Figure 1-4: Infirmary 8 Figure 1-5: Sister Mildred’s Door 10 Figure 1-6: Brother Ted and Arnold at Work 10 Figure 3-1: Columbia and Berkshire Counties 52 Figure 3-2: New Lebanon’s Location Relative to Major Eastern North American 59 Centres Figure 3-3: New Lebanon’s Location Relative to Albany 59 Figure 3-4: Mother Ann’s Tombstone 61 Figure 3-5: The Yankee Zone 84 Figure 3-6: New York and Massachusetts Land Grants 86 Figure 3-7: Origins - Villages 89 Figure 3-8: Origins - Families 90 Figure 3-9: Location of Homesteads for Early Converts 92 Figure 4-1: Contemporary Image of the Cane Ridge Revival 111 Figure 4-2: Cane Ridge Meeting House - 1934 112 Figure 6-1: Father Joseph’s Model of the Shaker ‘Courts’ 165 Figure 6-2: Shaker Seal 168 Figure 6-3: From Holy Mother Wisdom to Eldress Dana or Mother 168 Figure 6-4: The Holy City of Zion 172 Figure 6-5: Shaker Community Organization - 1787-1788 177 Figure 6-6: Early Sketch of a Shaker Dance (1794) 179 Figure 6-7: Sketch of Father Joseph’s Funeral (1796) 179 Figure 6-8: The Narrow Path 181 Figure 7-1: Bentham’s Panopticon 211 Figure 7-2: An example of Dutch American framing 215 Figure 7-3: Johannes L. Van Alen House c. 1760 216 Figure 7-4: The Bowery 1762 216 Figure 7-5: Spencer-Hinds House 216 Figure 7-6: First Meeting House at New Lebanon. 218 Figure 7-7: First Meeting House at Watervliet, NY 218 Figure 7-8: Canterbury Meeting House 218 Figure 7-9: Bishop House 220 Figure 7-10: Restructured Chimney in North Family Brethren’s Workshop 222 Figure 7-11: North Family ‘Second’ dwelling house 224 Figure 7-12: Image of New Lebanon’s Church Family c. 1865 225 Figure 7-13: Diagram of the Water System at New Lebanon 228 Figure 7-14: Early 20th Century Postcard Image of the Shaker Reservoir 229 Figure 7-15: Remnants of Shaker Dam near the North Family site 229 Figure 7-16: View of North Family at New Lebanon from the Great Stone Barn 233 viii Figure 7-17: East and North Facades of First South Family Dwelling House 236 Figure 7-18: Detail - New Lebanon’s Church Family’s Dwelling House c. 1865 236 Figure 7-19: East (Front) Facade of North Family Dwelling House 237 Figure 7-20: Cross Section of North Family Dwelling House 239 Figure 7-21: Plan of Basement for North Family Dwelling House 239 Figure 7-22: Cooling System for North Family Dwelling House 240 Figure 7-23: First Floor Plan for North Family Dwelling House 241 Figure 7-24: Second Floor Plan 241 Figure 7-25: Huguenot temple at Charenton 244 Figure 7-26: Birmingham Friends Meetinghouse 245 Figure 7-27: Buckingham Friends Meetinghouse 245 Figure 7-28: Ceiling Beams in Sabbathday Lake Meeting House 247 Figure 7-29: Seventeenth Century Anglo American Interior 247 Figure 7-30: Seventeenth Century Dutch American Interior 247 Figure 7-31: Bracing used in the Shirley Meetinghouse 248 Figure 7-32: Dutch Anchor Bracing Styles 248 Figure 7-33: Second Meeting House at New Lebanon 250 Figure 7-34: Second Meeting House Truss Work 252 Figure 7-35: Detailed drawings of Second Meeting House Truss Work.
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