Two sites in Harvard are considered sites of Shaker martyrdom. The Whipping Stone marks one of these sites and can be found on South Shaker Road, across from Glenview Drive. Park on Glenview Drive if you plan to stop by the marker.
June 1, 1783, Mother Ann and the elders were at the home of Elijah Wilds in Shirley for Sabbath worship. A mob gathered outside the house and stayed all night. A Shaker sister who had been allowed to leave the Wilds house notified the Grand Juryman of Shirley who arrived the next day with a peace officer. Although they restored order, the crowd continued to demand that Mother Ann and the elders be given over to them. After much negotiation, the Shakers agreed that two of them, William Lee and James Whittaker, would accompany the mob leaders back to Harvard. Some of the Shaker brothers insisted on going with Lee and Whittaker. Once the group entered Harvard, the mob continued its brutal treatment of the Shakers. An account of the beatings is given in a journal from the collection of Shaker elder Rufus Bishop in 1812 and revised by Seth Wells:
“They then seized Elder James, tied him to the limb of a tree, near the road, cut some sticks, from the bushes, and Isaac Whitney, being chosen for one of the whippers, began the cruel work, and continued beating and scourging till his back was all in a gore of blood, and the flesh bruised to a jelly. They then untied him, and seized Father William Lee; but he chose to kneel down and be whipped, therefore they did not tie him; but began to whip him as he stood on his knees. Notwithstanding the severity of the scourging which Elder James had already received, he immediately leaped upon Father William’s back, Bethiah Willard,
who had followed from Jeremiah’s, leaped upon Elder James’ back; others, who came with Bethiah, followed the same example. But, such marks of genuine Christianity only tended the more to enrage these savage persecutors, and those who attempted to manifest their love and charity in this manner, were inhumanly beaten without mercy. . .”
The same manuscript describes the Shakers reaction to the beatings:
“Elder James, addressing the Brethren and Sisters, said. I have been abused, but it is not for any wrong I have ever done to them; it is for your sakes.’ Mother Ann and the Elders, with all the Brethren and Sisters, then kneeled down and prayed to God, to forgive their bloody persecutors; Elder James cried, ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ ‘James, this is the life of the gospel,’ said Mother. After this, Mother and the Elders were very joyful, and thankful that they were worthy to suffer persecution for Christ’s sake.”
There is a large sycamore tree on Still River Road in Harvard near the Bolton town line that marks the second site of early Shaker martyrdom. It is known as the Whipping Tree due to events that happened there in August 1782. Drivers can still see this tree, much larger than in the 1800s, in front of the historic Thaddeus Pollard home.
Mobs gathered several times between January and July 1782 with the intent of driving the Shakers from town, but each of these situations was diffused without violence. Tensions continued to escalate. Mother Ann claimed she had a vision of a mob and direction from God to withdraw from Harvard.
On August 16 Mother Ann and the elders left Harvard. The following Sunday, worship at the Square House included a great number of out-of-town believers and was extremely lively. A mob gathered and forced its way into the Square House. They instructed the Harvard believers to return to their homes and gave the other believers one hour to prepare to leave. When the hourpassed, the mob, now about 400 strong, marched those Shakers out of town. They marched about six miles to the Harvard-Bolton line and then another
seven miles through Bolton to Lancaster. The journey was wrought with violence. Whips, clubs, and cudgels were used on the Shakers. Believers were whipped, beaten, and thrown from bridges. The Harvard Shakers had accompanied the group and on their return, were subjected to even more abuse. An account of the incident at the Whipping Tree states:
“After the mob entered Harvard, on their return, still having Abijah Wooster under guard, they stopped at Captain Pollard’s near Zaccheus Stevens’, and formed a ring. Then charging Abijah with going about and breaking up churches, and families, they declared he should be whipped; and, by the vote of the mob, appointed Jonathan Houghton and Elijah Priest to be the whippers. The next object was, to decide upon the number of stripes to be given; and, after several nominations, it was settled, by vote, that twenty should be the number. Then, stripping him, and tying him to a tree, Jonathan Houghton laid on his number first. At this time, James Haskell—a respectable man of the world, rode up, and seeing what was going on, dismounted his horse, and stripping off his coat, cried out, “Here, here, if there are any more stripes to be given let me take the rest.” On hearing these words from Haskell, the mob seemed struck with fear, and immediately released Abijah,
and let him go.“
“We visit the spot where the Fathers, William
& James were whipped by a persecuting Mob
We numbered 12 who were in the spot and each added a stone to the pile. “
—1866 Shaker journal entry
“Then charging Abijah with going about and breaking up churches, and families, they declared he should be whipped...” Testimonies of the life, character, revelations and doctrines of Mother Ann Lee, and the elders with her: through whom the Word of Eternal Life was opened in this day, of Christ’s second appearing.
June 1, 1783, Mother Ann and the elders were at the home of Elijah Wilds in Shirley for Sabbath worship. A mob gathered outside the house and stayed all night. A Shaker sister who had been allowed to leave the Wilds house notified the Grand Juryman of Shirley who arrived the next day with a peace officer. Although they restored order, the crowd continued to demand that Mother Ann and the elders be given over to them. After much negotiation, the Shakers agreed that two of them, William Lee and James Whittaker, would accompany the mob leaders back to Harvard. Some of the Shaker brothers insisted on going with Lee and Whittaker. Once the group entered Harvard, the mob continued its brutal treatment of the Shakers. An account of the beatings is given in a journal from the collection of Shaker elder Rufus Bishop in 1812 and revised by Seth Wells:
“They then seized Elder James, tied him to the limb of a tree, near the road, cut some sticks, from the bushes, and Isaac Whitney, being chosen for one of the whippers, began the cruel work, and continued beating and scourging till his back was all in a gore of blood, and the flesh bruised to a jelly. They then untied him, and seized Father William Lee; but he chose to kneel down and be whipped, therefore they did not tie him; but began to whip him as he stood on his knees. Notwithstanding the severity of the scourging which Elder James had already received, he immediately leaped upon Father William’s back, Bethiah Willard,
who had followed from Jeremiah’s, leaped upon Elder James’ back; others, who came with Bethiah, followed the same example. But, such marks of genuine Christianity only tended the more to enrage these savage persecutors, and those who attempted to manifest their love and charity in this manner, were inhumanly beaten without mercy. . .”
The same manuscript describes the Shakers reaction to the beatings:
“Elder James, addressing the Brethren and Sisters, said. I have been abused, but it is not for any wrong I have ever done to them; it is for your sakes.’ Mother Ann and the Elders, with all the Brethren and Sisters, then kneeled down and prayed to God, to forgive their bloody persecutors; Elder James cried, ‘Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ ‘James, this is the life of the gospel,’ said Mother. After this, Mother and the Elders were very joyful, and thankful that they were worthy to suffer persecution for Christ’s sake.”
There is a large sycamore tree on Still River Road in Harvard near the Bolton town line that marks the second site of early Shaker martyrdom. It is known as the Whipping Tree due to events that happened there in August 1782. Drivers can still see this tree, much larger than in the 1800s, in front of the historic Thaddeus Pollard home.
Mobs gathered several times between January and July 1782 with the intent of driving the Shakers from town, but each of these situations was diffused without violence. Tensions continued to escalate. Mother Ann claimed she had a vision of a mob and direction from God to withdraw from Harvard.
On August 16 Mother Ann and the elders left Harvard. The following Sunday, worship at the Square House included a great number of out-of-town believers and was extremely lively. A mob gathered and forced its way into the Square House. They instructed the Harvard believers to return to their homes and gave the other believers one hour to prepare to leave. When the hourpassed, the mob, now about 400 strong, marched those Shakers out of town. They marched about six miles to the Harvard-Bolton line and then another
seven miles through Bolton to Lancaster. The journey was wrought with violence. Whips, clubs, and cudgels were used on the Shakers. Believers were whipped, beaten, and thrown from bridges. The Harvard Shakers had accompanied the group and on their return, were subjected to even more abuse. An account of the incident at the Whipping Tree states:
“After the mob entered Harvard, on their return, still having Abijah Wooster under guard, they stopped at Captain Pollard’s near Zaccheus Stevens’, and formed a ring. Then charging Abijah with going about and breaking up churches, and families, they declared he should be whipped; and, by the vote of the mob, appointed Jonathan Houghton and Elijah Priest to be the whippers. The next object was, to decide upon the number of stripes to be given; and, after several nominations, it was settled, by vote, that twenty should be the number. Then, stripping him, and tying him to a tree, Jonathan Houghton laid on his number first. At this time, James Haskell—a respectable man of the world, rode up, and seeing what was going on, dismounted his horse, and stripping off his coat, cried out, “Here, here, if there are any more stripes to be given let me take the rest.” On hearing these words from Haskell, the mob seemed struck with fear, and immediately released Abijah,
and let him go.“
“We visit the spot where the Fathers, William
& James were whipped by a persecuting Mob
We numbered 12 who were in the spot and each added a stone to the pile. “
—1866 Shaker journal entry
“Then charging Abijah with going about and breaking up churches, and families, they declared he should be whipped...” Testimonies of the life, character, revelations and doctrines of Mother Ann Lee, and the elders with her: through whom the Word of Eternal Life was opened in this day, of Christ’s second appearing.
