Darrow School - Shaker Post Yearbook (New Lebanon, NY)

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The-MPa-rig Board 1936 Photographed by' Winlhrop Coffin, '36 SHAKER COOLING SYSTEINI This plmlogruph, when in the buxemenl ofthe .Vain Building, shows Ll kind ofbrick poolfed by a spring. This was med by the Shakers as a refrigerator. DINING ROOM OF THE CHURCH FAMILY This is now the dining room of the Lebanon School, though il has, of course, been modernized. 30

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1936, The Peg Board The Main Dwelling House By NATHAMEL EDWARD GRIFFIN, ,37 Prize Article in Ihr Upper-Middle Group HH MAIN dwelling house of the Church Family of Shakers stands in what was the center of action of the whole Shaker community. By that I mean right next to the Shaker Meeting House, across the road from the old infirmary, near the main office building and the laundry. This building was erected after the old one had burned down in the fire of February 6, 1875. The fire was the work of an incendiary. As the old dwelling house was built of wood, it is easy to see that it was a complete loss. Although the fire was very costly to the Shakers, they managed to start this remarkable building and practically finish it that same year. They had dinner in it on New Year-'s Day, 1876. After the fire the Shaker community at Watervliet, hav- ing heard of the disaster through a newspaper man, sent funds and clothing to aid the Shakers here, as did many other societies. . The division of the building is a matter ofinterest. The brothers had the north end, while the sisters had the south. In the west wing-our present infnrmary-were a work shop, a tailor shop, and a dressmaking shop. Another fact of interest, although it is slightly off the subject, is that the deacons lived on one end of the first floor, while the deaconesses lived on the other. This building has a peculiar construction. It has brick partitions running up to the fourth floor, thereby rendering it more safe from fire. This extraordinary method of building partitions explains why each room between the basement and the fourth Hoor is of exactly the same dimen- sions as those immediately above and below it. The interior finishing, such as wood work, is in a perfect state ofpreservation. All the school did when it took over the building was to take down the stoves, and gas jets, and put in electricity, install showers, put in a new heating plant, and take down some minor partitions. The partitions of any size could hardly be removed, as they are made of brick. Brother ffeorge Wickensham in his room. This Room is now the Office of the Headmaster of the Lebanon School. 29

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T936 The Peg Board The construction of a room is not so important as some other things, but it deserves mention. Let us begin with the Hoor and work up. The floor has rather a rough finish, the boards, which are made of hard pine, not being Fitted very closely. The walls were made of plaster painted white, but the school changed their color to yellow as far up as the peg boards, and from there to the ceiling a lighter yellow to relieve eyestrain. The ceiling was also made ofplaster painted white, but was made a light yellow by the school. There is another little thing which I forgot to mention and that is that the peg boards, from which the school paper gets its name, encircle the entire perimeter of each room. The dining room still enjoys the peace of its former days, its walls not having been operated upon. In fact it had only one flesh wound, and that was the removal of a sink which rested in the center of the room. The places where the water pipes came up and the drains went down are still visible under Mr. R. Miller's table CMr. Miller is the modern language masterl. All the kitchen suffered was the removal of its west partition so as to increase its size. There is only one classroom on the ground floor. It was made out of two closets, like many ofthe boys' rooms. That may seem tiny, but it really isn't as each closet was quite large. The rest of the classrooms are on the fourth Hoor. THE GIRLS' SCHOOL The Educational System of the Shakers By HENRY MARSHALL COLVIN, '37 Prize Article in the Upper-Middle Group EFORE the organization of the Shaker community at Mount Lebanon the Shakers living in the vicinity had to rely upon the district schools, which were very deficient, for the edu- cation of their childreng but after the gathering of the Believers into organized societies,1 much 1. The organization began in 1787 and was completed by 1792. See A Summary View of the Millennial Church, Albany 1848, p. 59. 31