History John Cotton, having been inspired by Mother
Ann Lee on May 26, 1783, became Maine's first Shaker member. That year members of the Shaker Church settled on the hill near Massabesic (now Shaker) Pond. Others dubbed them the "Merry Dancers", because of their ecstatic worship. "They were", as historian George J. Varney writes, "at this time fanatical in religion and intemperate in their indulgences." The Shaker village was formally organized in 1793 when a meetinghouse was built. Elder
Joseph Brackett is attributed by many Shaker accounts to have written the famous 1848 Shaker dancing song,
Simple Gifts. Hundreds of people lived at the 300-acre Shaker village on both sides of Shaker Hill Road, which included a school, gardens, orchards, a grist and saw mill, farm land, barns, a dairy and shops. They made brooms, brushes, woven cloth, woodenware, spinning wheels, horsehair sieves, oval carriers and fancy goods. They reaped seeds and herbs and made herbal medicines. Key intentions among the Shakers were to live a simple life in harmony, respect nature, and produce well-made or cared for agricultural or material products. In March 1931 The Alfred Shaker Historic District is preserved and listed on the
National Register of Historic Places since 2001. Only Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in
New Gloucester survives under the control of the last few Shakers. Some former communities operate today as museums because, like Alfred Shaker Village, they closed when the congregation dwindled. Artist
Joshua Bussell was long a resident of the Alfred community. File:Alfred historic buildings, c. 1880.jpg|Historic buildings, Alfred Shaker Village, Maine, File:Alfred Shaker Village, c 1880.jpg|Historic building, Alfred Shaker Village, Maine,
Alfred Shaker Museum The Alfred Shaker Museum, located in a gatehouse of the previous Shaker village, was founded by local residents who had organized the Friends of Alfred Shaker Museum to preserve the Shaker heritage within the community. Within the renovated Carriage House is a library, shop and the museum that conducts periodic craft workshops, events and exhibits. ==Brothers of Christian Instruction==