At its height in 1860, the Shaker village of Mount Lebanon, New York, spanned some 6,000 acres and contained more than 100 buildings. The Shakers are a Christian sect that originated in England but settled in New England to escape persecution. Their celibate communities were self-sufficient and developed new approaches to the design and manufacture of goods based on function and simplicity of design, an aesthetic that survives today.
By the turn of the 20th century the Shaker community had decreased in size and families consolidated as Shaker villages closed. The North Family was the last remaining at Mount Lebanon when it closed in 1947.
In 1972 a devastating fire broke out in the North Family’s Great Stone Barn, which was the largest stone barn in America when it was built in 1859. Only its masonry walls were left standing. The following year, the Dwelling House, a massive 50-room, five-story abandoned building, was razed for fear that fire or other calamity would come to the site.
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At its height in 1860, the Shaker village of Mount Lebanon, New York, spanned some 6,000 acres and contained more than 100 buildings. The Shakers are a Christian sect that originated in England but settled in New England to escape persecution. Their celibate communities were self-sufficient and developed new approaches to the design and manufacture of goods based on function and simplicity of design, an aesthetic that survives today.
By the turn of the 20th century the Shaker community had decreased in size and families consolidated as Shaker villages closed. The North Family was the last remaining at Mount Lebanon when it closed in 1947.
In 1972 a devastating fire broke out in the North Family’s Great Stone Barn, which was the largest stone barn in America when it was built in 1859. Only its masonry walls were left standing. The following year, the Dwelling House, a massive 50-room, five-story abandoned building, was razed for fear that fire or other calamity would come to the site.
The remaining ten buildings are threatened with severe deterioration or total loss. Most of these structures retain their original Shaker exteriors with modified interiors. A remarkable amount of original historic details and finishes can still be found throughout the site.
