History Of The Shaker
Shaker boxes were made by Shakers for sale to "the world" and for their own uses. Oval boxes were first made in 1798 and continue to be made until the mid Twentieth Century. The last Shaker Brother to make boxes was Brother Delmer Wilson of Sabbathday Lake, Maine.
The Shakers made oval boxes in a wide range of sizes for household and workshop use. They were used to store dried herbs, spices, thread, buttons, nails, medicines - anything but liquids. The Shakers began making oval boxes (they also made round and rectangular boxes) in the 1790's at Mt. Lebanon, New York. The craft continued with the work of Elder Delmer Wilson (1873-1961) of Sabbathday Lake, Maine, the last Shaker oval box maker.
The Shakers are a religious communal sect that flourished until after the Civil War. There are just a handful of Brothers and Sisters living in Sabbathday Lake, Maine. |
