Government - Hancock Shaker Village
Source: https://hancockshakervillage.org/shakers/shaker-government
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:32
Government - Hancock Shaker Village
Open 11am-4pm Daily
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Government
Government
Leslie Pizani
2017-02-28T10:17:54-05:00
Shaker “families” were organized with elders and eldresses, deacons and deaconesses, and trustees, overseen by the Ministry. A “family” in the Shaker community is a term that refers to a spiritual family, and the metaphor is extended as all men and women were called brothers and sisters within this family. Each family consisted of approximately one hundred Believers, and was made up of a dwelling, workshops and barns. The Hancock Shaker community included the Church, Second, East, West, North and South families. All families would gather together on Sundays at the Church family’s Meetinghouse for worship.
The Shakers were outside the norm of contemporary American society in placing women and men equally at the highest levels of authority. The Hancock Ministry consisted of two men and two women who were responsible for the spiritual well-being of the Shakers here and in villages at Tyringham, MA, and Enfield, CT.
Deacons, selected because they were practical and able, oversaw men’s work. Family Deacons made work assignments for the brothers and supervised tasks like wood cutting and farm work. Men also managed the mills, tended the animals, and constructed and repaired the buildings.
Deaconesses, who were also selected for their abilities, managed the business of providing the communal family with food, clean laundry, and necessary household and personal effects. Women’s jobs included housekeeping, cooking, preserving, gardening, weaving, laundry and sewing.
Office Deacons, or Trustees, handled business with other Shaker villages and the outside world. They traveled widely and handled economic and legal matters for the community.
The Shakers
A Brief History
Reading List
Links
Shakers at Hancock
Searchable Hancock Database
Religion
Government
FAQs
Recipes
Shaker Sites in the US
Museum
Past Exhibitions
Historic Architecture
Garden Tool Shed
Trustees’ Office and Store
Laundry/Machine Shop
Brick Poultry House
1826 Round Stone Barn
1830 Brick Dwelling
Brethren’s Shop
Hired Men’s Shop
Sisters’ Dairy & Weave Shop
Meetinghouse
Schoolhouse
Tannery
Ministry’s Shop
Horse Barn
1910 Barn Complex
Ice House
Page load link
Go to Top
Open 11am-4pm Daily
Membership
Skip to content
Government
Government
Leslie Pizani
2017-02-28T10:17:54-05:00
Shaker “families” were organized with elders and eldresses, deacons and deaconesses, and trustees, overseen by the Ministry. A “family” in the Shaker community is a term that refers to a spiritual family, and the metaphor is extended as all men and women were called brothers and sisters within this family. Each family consisted of approximately one hundred Believers, and was made up of a dwelling, workshops and barns. The Hancock Shaker community included the Church, Second, East, West, North and South families. All families would gather together on Sundays at the Church family’s Meetinghouse for worship.
The Shakers were outside the norm of contemporary American society in placing women and men equally at the highest levels of authority. The Hancock Ministry consisted of two men and two women who were responsible for the spiritual well-being of the Shakers here and in villages at Tyringham, MA, and Enfield, CT.
Deacons, selected because they were practical and able, oversaw men’s work. Family Deacons made work assignments for the brothers and supervised tasks like wood cutting and farm work. Men also managed the mills, tended the animals, and constructed and repaired the buildings.
Deaconesses, who were also selected for their abilities, managed the business of providing the communal family with food, clean laundry, and necessary household and personal effects. Women’s jobs included housekeeping, cooking, preserving, gardening, weaving, laundry and sewing.
Office Deacons, or Trustees, handled business with other Shaker villages and the outside world. They traveled widely and handled economic and legal matters for the community.
The Shakers
A Brief History
Reading List
Links
Shakers at Hancock
Searchable Hancock Database
Religion
Government
FAQs
Recipes
Shaker Sites in the US
Museum
Past Exhibitions
Historic Architecture
Garden Tool Shed
Trustees’ Office and Store
Laundry/Machine Shop
Brick Poultry House
1826 Round Stone Barn
1830 Brick Dwelling
Brethren’s Shop
Hired Men’s Shop
Sisters’ Dairy & Weave Shop
Meetinghouse
Schoolhouse
Tannery
Ministry’s Shop
Horse Barn
1910 Barn Complex
Ice House
Page load link
Go to Top