Brother Arnold Hadd, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester

“The Shakers were founded in England in 1747. A small group immigrated to America in 1774, and soon after established communities in Maine in Alfred and New Gloucester. At our peak, we had 18 U.S. communities with some 5,000 members. Currently, the Sabbathday Lake (New Gloucester) Shakers are the only active community in America. Throughout our history, the equality of all people has been the community’s central principle.

In the 1840s, Shakers began drawing colorful maps. Though they lacked perspective, the maps, such as this rendering of New Gloucester, situated communal buildings relative to one another. Nineteenth-century Shaker artists also created so-called “gift drawings,” such as this one, received by Sister Hester Ann Adams of Canterbury, New Hampshire. In 1859, Sister Hester was the first Sister in the order of the Maine Ministry. The drawing, composed of many separate notations encased in geometric sections, illustrates various messages from the spirit world received directly by the artist.”

Brother Arnold Hadd was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. His interest in communalism led him to the Shaker religious community. He visited the Shakers for three years and eventually joined in January of 1978. Since that time, Brother Arnold has been a farmer, gardener, herdsman, printer, cook, baker, author, editor, historian, Trustee, and Elder.