Many of us seek to experience with others what the Shakers call union, or the feeling of being deeply connected and on equal footing, and it was a central aspect to the longevity of the Shakers’ communal living. They found a variety of ways to keep in union remotely,...

The bell sounded at 11:30 AM on Friday, February 5, 1875, just before the Shakers were called to dinner. As the bell continued to toll, they realized it signified fire rather than the meal. As Sister Anna Dodgson described it in a journal kept by the Church Family deaconesses,...