The eighteenth and last Shaker community in America was founded on this site in 1836 by members of the Sodus Bay Shaker community. The Shakers, formerly known as the United States Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, were a religious communal group that came from England in 1774. Their first settlement was in Watervliet near Albany, N.Y. Known for industry and diligence, they sold lumber, agricultural products, and handicrafts. Their founder, Mother An Lee, incorporated simple dance movements and singing in worship. Because they practiced celibacy, they depended on converts and the adoption of orphans for membership. Declining membership and financial problems led to the closing of the Groveland community in 1892, and the remaining members moved to the Shaker community at Watervliet, N.Y. In 1894 the Shakers sold the Groveland property to the State of New York to establish the Craig Colony for Epileptics, which became a noted institution for the care of the handicapped.