Explore
the Shaker Swamp with local filmmaker Ted Timreck.
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The
Shaker Swamp
...connecting New Lebanon's Past to its Future
The
Shaker Swamp Conservancy is bringing to light
the ecological and historical significance of the
495-acre Shaker Swamp, a natural wild tract of land
in the center of the Town of New Lebanon, NY.
Fed
by the famous Warm Springs known to the Natives, the
Swamp supports indigenous plants that were gathered
by the Mount Lebanon Shakers, the leading Shaker community
in America in the 1800s, for use in their herbal medicinals
business.
The
SSC is taking the lead in New Lebanon's efforts to
discover how knowledge about medicinal botanicals
was transmitted from the Native Americans to the Shaker
Society and then to the Tilden Company. The Tilden
Company, the first pharmaceutical company in the US,
built its factory adjacent to the Shaker Swamp.
Ted
Timreck's film "Medicinal Wetlands"
explores the importance of the Shaker Swamp
as a defining asset of the Lebanon Valley, and
as part of the unfolding story of modern medicine
in America. Read more about how the project
evolved. About »
Fed
by thermal springs known to the Natives, the
Swamp supports a treasure trove of wild medicinal
plants. The Mount Lebanon Shakers documented
the sharing of these healing herbs with the
Natives. Local history and preservation efforts
are the focus of recent Articles »
Ted
Timreck's newest film, "Stone Ruins
of New Lebanon" offers an intriguing
look at local stone artifacts that may have
been a Native American ceremonial site in New
Lebanon. Explorations of the Shaker Swamp are
available on DVDs »
Indigenous
plants used by Native Americans, the Shakers,
and Tilden Co. grow in the Shaker Swamp. Above
Claudia and Conrad Vispo of the Hawthorne
Valley Farmscape Ecology Program lead a
Shaker Swamp walk to indentify native medicinal
plants. See Events »
Rare
and uncommon plant and animal species of conservational
interest occur in the Swamp's varied habitats.
For photos, species lists, comparative medicinal
herb charts, and maps of ecological interest,
see the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program
Ecology Report »
The
Shaker Swamp Conservancy is working towards
the preservation of the Shaker Swamp, possibilites
for public access, education, and opportunities
for ecological and cultural appreciation. Share
our visions for the future... Stewardship »
The
mission of the Shaker Swamp Conservancy is to preserve
the Shaker Swamp as a unique and defining asset of
the Lebanon Valley, to promote understanding of this
natural resource and its human heritage, and to create
related opportunities for public access, education,
and recreation.