Mount Lebanon Shaker Society

Mount Lebanon Shaker village sits on the west side of Mount Lebanon at New Lebanon, New York. Begun in 1785, it grew into five Shaker families, North, Church, Center, Second and South, each with its own dwellings, workshops and barns. Buildings date from 1785 to about 1876, ranging from frame to brick and stone, and follow a plain, functional Shaker style. After a major fire in 1875, brick buildings replaced several frame ones. The village served for roughly 150 years as the principal Shaker community and was home to the central ministry. At its peak it held 600 members and 100 buildings on 6,000 acres. It also holds the first Shaker meetinghouse in America, built in 1785. After the last Mount Lebanon Shaker died in 1947, the village was sold. The Darrow School now uses many of the buildings, including the 1824 second meetinghouse, now its library, while the South Family is occupied by a religious community.