Maps of the Shaker West: A Journey of Discovery

Rating:
Summary: The best introduction to the Shaker history of "the West."
Review: I have just purchased a copy of Maps of the Shaker West: A Journey of Discovery and have been reading it over the past few days. It is nothing short of brilliant. Martha Boice, Dale Covington and Richard Spence should all be very proud. First of all, it is the best introduction to the Shaker history of "the West" (or what Mother Ann called "the Southwest") that I have seen. Secondly, the three of them have provided an invaluable service to the field by uncovering and/or compiling research on the histories of "lost out-families" such as Eagle and Straight Creeks and Shaker-owned properties such as Berrien Springs, Michigan. The prose is clear, accessible, and veritably sparkles. The illustrations are excellent and the maps are a first-rate aid to anyone who wants to pinpoint the people and places that are written about. The book is a pleasure to scholar and layman alike.

Rating:
Summary: New Light on the History of the Shakers in the Midwest
Review: There is at least 150 years of direct experience of the Shakers and an additional 50 years of Shaker influence to be discovered, studied and savored in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. Maps of the Shaker West lifts the veil of nostalgia which often surrounds the Shaker experience and we can see the pioneer Shakers of the west as they were with all their strengths and weaknesses; their struggles, failures and successes.

In chapter 8 of the book the extent and the depth of the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky comes alive. For those of us with roots in southern Ohio, this chapter can touch home directly. The spiritual choices of Barton Stone, John Dunlevy and Richard McNemar at the turn of the 19th century are still influencing us today as we quickly approach the 21st century. The Restoration Movement (The Christian Church) is still strong and active in southern Ohio and the Society of Shakers continues and their many friends are influenced by their faith and story.

Another intriguing line of research is suggested in the book. Some of the land acquisitions made by the Shakers may have been due to their participation in the Underground Railroad. In this endeavor, old religious adversaries joined in common cause: Quakers, Presbyterians, the Christian Church and the Shakers. More study needs to be directed to this line of research.

The maps of Dale Covington and the drawings of Richard Spence help bring alive the old Shaker sites, especially those which have been altered beyond recognition. We can feel again the presence of Union Village (Lebanon, Ohio) the seat of the Shaker bishopric of the west, as it nurtured many other villages: Watervliet (Dayton, Ohio), White Water (New Haven, Ohio), North Union (Cleveland, Ohio), Busro (Oaktown, Indiana), Pleasant Hill (Harrodsburg, Kentucky) and South Union, Kentucky. Other lesser known Shaker sites are also discussed in the book.

Reading Maps of the Shaker West helps a person to experience the furor of the New Light Revival, the excitement of committing to a radical and tranforming faith, the personal and the financial sacrifices made to become a Shaker, and the excitement of participating in a socially important communal project that would so influence the world. Maps of the Shaker West is a welcomed and insightful resource in the ongoing study of the Shakers.

Rating:
Summary: A must for anyone interested in the Shakers
Review: This book was a real find for me. Having visited 7 of the eastern Shaker villages, I wanted to know more about the remaining Shaker sites in the "West". There are more than 20 such sites set out in this excellent book. Each has a written explanation and sufficient maps to find and explore all of them. Both the maps and the text are accurate, having been carefully prepared and researched by the 3 authors.

The book inspired me to visit Ohio and Kentucky to see the sites. My wife and I were taken around Union Village by Mary Lou Warner, the historian for the Otterbein-Lebanon Community. Martha Boice showed us Whitewater village with her friend Julie Schlesselman. We went to Watervliet, Ohio, then down into Kentucky to the Cane Ridge Meeting House where a camp meeting took place in 1801 as part of the Kentucky Revival. We stayed at Pleasant Hill and then went to South Union. All in all a wonderful experience which would not have happened without this book. I hope to return to the area soon to see the sites I didn't have time to visit.

Most of the interest in the Shakers centres on the well preserved eastern villages such as Hancock, Canterbury and the still active village of Sabbathday Lake. However, this misses the western villages which have a charm and interest of their own. There is much to see in Ohio and Kentucky, and for anyone interested in the Shaker experience as a whole visiting the western sites will expand your knowledge and understanding of why the Shakers have lasted for so long. This book will appeal to anyone who is seriously interested in the Shakers - add it to your bookshelf now.