Opinion: Milton historic home incorporates Shaker designs

Preserving The Past

Milton, and its surrounding area, has a fascinating yet little known history. However, with a little effort, we find that great stories abound about the people who came before us and what they accomplished to prepare the way for our generation.

Make sure to read other installments from the series like A judge in cowboy boots and How an ice cream factory became a wedding venue.

It is rare that a house that is only 20 years old could be deemed historic, but a stunning home built in Milton by someone with an understanding and commitment to historic Shaker design principles, resulted in a unique residence that reveals authentic Shaker craftsmanship and beauty. Interestingly, as Shaker design and secular colonial design were evolving together over time, the home includes some features of each.

Engraving portraying a group of Shakers dancing circa 1840. Dancing was an important part of Shaker worship until the end of the 19th century. Dancing took place in the community meeting house and could last for hours.

The Shakers were a communal religious sect founded in England in 1747. The group reached its peak of about 4,000-6,000 members in the United States in the mid 1800s, particularly in New England, New York, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky where they established 19 communes. Their population dwindled over time due in large part to their belief in celibacy. Maintaining their numbers depended on recruitment and adoption, which failed to stem the decline. By 1900 there were fewer than 1,000 Shakers, and today there are only a handful.

Georgia was the scene of their last effort to spread their ideas beyond the Northeast.

The organization’s full name is the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing.

The Shakers were an offshoot of the Quaker movement founded in England in the mid-1600s. The Quakers believed that individuals could know Christ directly without a church, Bible or priest. They were sensitive to injustice to anyone because they believed that God exists in all people. This conviction was the basis for their pacifism.

The Quaker name was derived from their worship practice involving violent trembling and shaking. They modified the practices in the 1740s; however, a group of English members maintained the original worship style and became known as the “Shaking Quakers” or “Shakers.” In 1774 the first small group of Shakers came to the United States and settled in western New York State.

Shakers believed in four basic tenets: communal living based on equality of sex and race, celibacy, regular public confession of sins, and separation from the outside world. They believed their labor and craftsmanship should strive for perfection to honor God. They sought perfection in all they did and became known for their commitment to making the highest quality furniture, coveted throughout the world. They invented some basic household items such as clothespins, the flat-bottomed broom, the circular saw, wrinkle resistant fabric and an improved plow among other firsts.

Music and dance were important in their worship. Aaron Copeland used the Shaker song “Simple Gifts” as the theme for his ballet “Appalachian Spring.”

Their Millennial Laws first published in 1821 provided rules to live by in all aspects of everyday life including architectural and furniture design which prohibited “beadings, mouldings and cornices which are merely for fancy.” In spite of the mandate for unadorned simplicity, the Shakers produced beautiful and functional furniture.

Twelve Shaker family members are shown in front of the Shaker Meeting House in Albany, New York, Circa 1860.

Georgia Shakers

In 1898 a group of Ohio Shakers purchased land in Brunswick in Glynn County and in addition, according to the Atlanta Constitution August 6, 1898, acquired the entire community of White Oak in Camden County including the hotel, all the store buildings, residences, a big artesian well and every piece of real estate owned by the inhabitants of White Oak.

“They are preparing to bring wealth and prosperity to this portion of the wiregrass country,” said the newspaper. They bought 68,000 acres in total in a nine-month period. Newspapers sang their praises.

In their March 1, 1900 edition, The Atlanta Constitution said “The Shakers are planting fruit trees and grapes and in Glynn are developing enormous acreages of rice fields long ago abandoned.”

The Savannah Morning News December 31, 1900 said, “They are making garden spots in Camden and Glynn” and predicted that they would “shortly move their headquarters to Georgia.”

Although they succeeded in farming, the Shakers could not attract converts, and in short announcements in December 1901 the Atlanta Constitution and Savannah Morning News reported that the Georgia Shakers had returned to Ohio, leaving their lands, buildings and possessions behind to be dealt with by their local agent.

The dining room in Gary Jacobs home in Milton reflects the influence of Shaker design. Long windows almost to the floor, Shaker table, chairs, blanket chest and sparsely decorated walls.

The Home in Milton

When Gary Jacobs built his 11,000-square-foot home in Milton in 2001 he indulged his love of Shaker architecture. He believes “objects well made by expert hands that people actually use can have a special beauty.” Gary researched a comprehensive library on Shaker design before applying their features to his home. He sought leading craftsmen who could make accurate Shaker reproductions with the quality of the originals.

The home features Shaker deep set tall and wide windows with wide moldings. The Shaker practice of window placement to maximize light rather than for symmetry was part of the design. Doors were framed using wide molding terminating in Shaker plinth blocks.

Shaker 12-inch x 1-inch baseboards were installed throughout. Shaker door handles, locks, hinges on heart pine doors were handmade by a North Carolina blacksmith. Ohio and North Carolina craftsmen made precise Shaker reproduction furniture.

The foyer stairwell and landing are precisely scaled and reproduced with custom turned newels and posts. Heart pine flooring is used for two floors.

This home is a rare and beautiful tribute to the clean lines and basic forms that set the Shaker style apart and made it an important part of American history.

The home is currently on the market. For information contact Lara Dolan at [email protected] or 404 514-6533 or https://www.14805ebluff.com/

You can email Bob at [email protected]. To learn more about the Milton Historical Society, go to miltonhistoricalsociety-georgia.org.

Preserving The Past