Ann Lee seized the opportunity and, using her charismatic spirituality, opened her gospel to the public. Converts came in droves, explained Brother Arnold.
Mother Ann set out on mission trips and gathered converts to Shakerism. She was not always welcomed in the communities she visited; she suffered beatings and was sometimes dragged by her hair out of town. Results of the persecution caused Ann Lee’s death at an early age, but by this time there were others to take her place and Shakerism continued to grow. Shaker communities were established throughout New England, west to Ohio and south through Kentucky and Florida, peaking in membership in the 1850s. Following the Civil War, the number of Shakers began to decline; by the early 1900s, many communities were forced to close.
