Episode 2 of 2
First Known Reference
- When
- October 1848
- Where
- New Gloucester, Maine
The first known reference to 'Simple Gifts' appears in an October 1848 concert advertisement by the Shakers of New Gloucester.
An advertisement for a concert in October 1848 by the Shaker Family from the Society of Shakers of New Gloucester, Maine, marks the first known reference to the song. This suggests the song was performed or recognized in the New Gloucester community shortly after its composition.
Sources
- Simple Gifts Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.