Arizona silver belt., 1895-10-19
SHAKERS MOVING TO FLORIDA.
furchsss oS Q Large Tract of Land fs'
 the Mount Lebanon Colony,

furchsss oS . Large Tract of Land fs'
 the Mount Lebanon Colony,
 The Shakers of Mount Lebanon, who have for an age been part of the pic. turesque rural life of New York state are soon to abandon their historical town in the Berkshire hills, to cas, aside old-time tradition and custom, and remove to pastures new. Within a few days the Shaker society of Mount Lebanon has purchased, through real estate broker, no less than eight thou. sand acres of land in Florida, ranging hOrthward from Lake Okeechobee, and comprising large part of Osceola and DeSoto counties The Shakers are now considering the purchase of eight thou sand more acres, making sixteen thou sand in all, which will include an en. tire township in Florida. Some time ago the Shakers purchased small tract fin California and another in northern Ohio, but neither has proved suitable for the establishment of large colony, hence they turned their eyes to the south, aud have concluded satisfac. tory purchase. As result of the deal the Shakers will establish the largest settlement in this country, and. as the land in Florida is rich and fertile, the settlement will begin with every natu- ral advantage.
 The removal to Florida of this his tOrical sect, says the Florida Times Union, will mark an era in the history of the very remarkable society of Mount Lebanon. Originally these Mount Leb- Anon Shakers were an offshoot from the society of Quakers or Friends. In -lIA7 some members of that society in Manchester England, formed distinct associstiOt finder the leadership of James and Jane Wardly. For several years the little company was only no- tieeable through being more noisy than most of the aSSemblages of Quakers, dancing, shouting, trembling, etc, un- der the supposed influence of the spirit. But in l77O one of the members, Ann Lee, profcsSsd to receive some peculiar revelations, testifying that the carnal nature of the flesh was the root of all Human deprayity; and, second, that she herself was Christ, or the lucarnate deity in the female form. The new sect became thoroughly infatuated with Ann Lees teachings; they called her Moth CT Ann" and declared their belief that no blessing could descend to any per son except through her. But outside of their small circle the new doctrines were regarded as blasphemous, and Ann Lee and her worshipers were i'm. priSoned and fined.
 In lT7+, therefore, in obedience to an other of Ann Lees revelations, she and several of her followers emigrated to New York and settled in Niskayuna tnow Watervliet), about seven miles from Albany. The death of Mother Ann occurred in lS47. She estab- ..Shcd the community iu the form of family, and the general plan which she l1id down has ever since been followed. In i7S7 Joseph Meacham, one of Ann's first converts in this country, collected bsr adheFents in a settlement in Mount LebaRon. WithiA few years Meaeham 'T5 tC--ned eleven other settlements in New York and other states. No other societies were formed until about fif- teen years later, when some mission aries were sent to the west and founded four communities in Ohio and two in Kentucky. PaSt of these settlements are still in existence; others have been entirely dispersed. But the Mount Lebanon settlement has remained the !. "home," or original town of the so- aiaty