All in the Family

All in the Family. The Buildings of the East Family. , The Shakers designed each "spiritual family" to be reasonably self-sufficient. Ranging from 60 to 100 members, families were named for their geographic location relative to the Meeting House. Careful organization and planning was necessary to accommodate these large numbers. The village Ministry appointed Elders and Eldresses to provide leadership for each family, while Deacons and Deaconesses oversaw the distribution of work within the family group., The dwelling house served as the nucleus for each family unit. Support buildings surrounded the communal dwelling, and provided space for work, food preservation and storage, and other temporal needs. The East Family Dwelling is currently encircled by four of these structures. At one point, the East Family had over 25 such structures, all providing necessary infrastructure for their communal arrangement.,

"A brick shop has been erected at the East House, for the brethren, several rods west of the dwelling and considerably further back from the road.... The old cooper shop which stood in the yard west of the East House, has been removed back northward in a row with the washhouse.... The wash houses, at the First Order and East House have both received additions. These buildings were all executed by the brethren." , - Benjamin Dunlavy, April 9, 1852 , Credit: Western Reserve Historical Society

, (Captions): , View of the East Family Dwelling with the Sisters' Shop in the distance. Notice the building along the Turnpike that no longer remains. , c. Late 19th century , Credit: United Society of Shakers, Sabbathday Lake, Maine, Members of the Pleasant Hill community on a "day of releasement" from their labors. , 1887, Background Image: Aerial view of the remaining East Family buildings, including the East Family Brethren's Shop (1845), the Cooper's Shop (1847), the East Family Wash House (1835), and the East Family Sisters' Shop (1855).