Sister June Carpenter, one of the few remaining Shakers, dies in Maine. She was 88.

Sister June Carpenter, one of the last members of the only remaining Shaker community, died Tuesday at age 88.

She was a member of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine.

Carpenter was a trained librarian who organized and cataloged the village's extensive collections of history and writings.

She received a master's in library sciences from Simmons College and worked as a librarian before joining the community.

late 1700s: Shakers founded by Mother Ann Lee as an offshoot of the Quakers. · early 1800s: Thousands of Shakers lived in communities across multiple states. · after the Civil War: Shaker numbers diminished, though Sabbathday Lake persisted. · 1988: Carpenter visited Sabbathday Lake for the dedication of its library and volunteered to help organize its catalog. · 1989: Carpenter joined Sabbathday Lake as a full member. · Tuesday: Sister June Carpenter died at age 88.

88 age at death · 1988 year of first visit · 1989 year she joined · two longtime community members