Photograph, Cabinet

Description

This view of the interior of the Mount Lebanon Meetinghouse (1824) was taken sometime after March 1889 when the Shakers began using the chairs made at the South Family Chair Factory with special "punched" plywood seats that they apparently purchased from Frost & Peterson, New York, NY. A Sister's journal (source?) noted on (date?): "We have a new arrangement for the Meeting House, instead of benches, we have Chairs made at [the[ South Family, 4 Chairs are fastened together." The view is of the southeast corner of the sanctuary. The door on the right is the one through which Shaker Sisters entered for meeting and the one on the left was for the Brothers. The raised benches in the southeast corner provided seating for the public. The four small louvered windows high on the south wall were used by the Ministry to observe the meetings below.