NEW GLOUCESTER, MAINE: DEAL UNDER WAY TO PROTECT SHAKER LAND

An agreement between Maine’s Shaker community and a coalition of preservation and conservation groups will help protect the unique village and 1,700 acres surrounding it from becoming carved into subdivisions. The $3.7-million plan will also help to simplify the finances of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, where life has been rooted in faith and farming and remains unchanged in many ways from when it was founded more than 200 years ago. It is the last active Shaker community in the world and has only four members. Under the agreement, the Shakers will sell their rights to develop the village and land for about $2.5 million to the coalition. The additional $1.2 million in funds is earmarked for endowments for building maintenance and other costs. With much of the Shaker land taxed for its potential to sprout subdivisions rather than on the basis of its agricultural use, the Shakers are struggling to cover the taxes, which amounted to $27,000 last year. They must also pay living expenses and for maintenance of the society’s library, museum and 19 historic but fragile buildings in their village. Founded in 1783, the tree-shaded village and its surrounding acreage is a National Historic Landmark. (AP)