On one of our trips to the east we stopped to see a Shaker village in New Hampshire. There were two living Shaker women left in this village. They had deeded the property to a trust. They wanted the memory of the Shaker way of life to be preserved when they were gone. The employees of the trust are not in themselves followers of Shaker tradition. This means the stories they tell are from an outsiders point of view. It is interesting none the less. As well at the end of the tour I did meet one of the two remaining "sisters".
The Shakers quit taking in new members many years ago (exception one community did take in new members in the '80s). They do not have children themselves. This means as the current members die, the communities die as well. That is why the trust was created by this community. They want to make sure there is a record of their service to God.