Greater Cleveland is filled to the brim with fascinating and unusual history. Our interesting little region features unique architecture, impressive museums, and natural landmarks that tell tales of the area's past. However, the more interesting tales are those hiding right under our noses, disguised by a lack of physical evidence. You see, a religious community once thrived right in Greater Cleveland and then vanished without a trace. Today, their settlement is known as Shaker Heights, a quaint and historic community near Cleveland with a surprising past.
Today, Shaker Heights is a stunning community of just under 30,000 people.
This Cuyahoga County community is a charming little suburb. It's close enough to Cleveland for 9-to-5 commuters, but it's far enough to have developed its own unique personality.
The town grew modernized when O.P. and M. J. Van Sweringen began developing it in the early 1900s.
The brothers envisioned Shaker Heights as a cozy little escape from Downtown Cleveland and constructed the Shaker Rapid Transit to connect the two. It opened in 1920, nearly 100 years after the Shaker community had settled in.
However, its roots date back to a Shaker settlement that formerly occupied the land between 1822 and 1889.
Ralph Russell formally established the North Union Shaker Site in 1822, welcoming about 80 people into his modest community. They lived on some 1,000 acres of donated land, and their numbers eventually grew to 300 people around 1850. Of course, the Shakers practiced celibacy, so as an aging population faded away, so, too, did their settlement.
If you've never heard of the Shakers, you may be surprised to learn that they once chose Greater Cleveland as a worthy place to settle in.
The Shakers, known also as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, were established in England in 1747. Their energetic and ecstatic worship services earned them the nickname "Shaking Quakers," which naturally evolved into their modern nomenclature.
This pacifist group believed in the equality of the sexes, communal lifestyles, and simple lifestyles.
Shakers worshiped in unadorned meetinghouses, but their simple lifestyle resulted in moving and energetic services. Many worships were choreographed to music written right in town.
And while communities like Shaker Heights stand as a testament to this group's existence, worshipers have largely gone extinct.
There were, at one point, 20-some Shaker settlements in the United States. Today, only Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine continues to operate as a Shaker settlement. As of 2019, it consists of just three members.
Though little evidence of Shaker influence exists in plain sight today, Shaker Heights knows it has a fascinating history.
The buildings of the North Union Shaker Settlement are long gone, and most practitioners left the area around 1889. However, the city that rose in their wake is prosperous and charming, and it comes with a story that's endlessly fascinating.
Shaker Heights is a historic community near Cleveland with a secret past. Had you ever heard of the old Shaker settlement in this community? Have you heard any other notable local lore? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
If you enjoyed this surprise past, you should pay a visit to Kirtland Temple.
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