Interesting stories about life in Shaker communities often begin with the most mundane of comments made in journals or the press. In this case it was a short article in the June 13, 1895 issue of The Columbia Republican titled simply, “Shaker Found Dead.” In its entirety it rea...

In 1976, Howard Finster, Baptist preacher and soon to be one of the grand old gentleman of American twentieth-century folk art, said that he was instructed by the Lord to begin painting “sermon art” because “preaching don‘t do much good; no one listens – but a pictu...