Visiting the Shakers at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky [September 17, 2015]

The Centre Family Dwelling

Wooden Bowls - Kitchen- Centre Family Dwelling

One of the premises that this country was founded upon was religious freedom, and during its early years several interesting religious groups created communities around their faith here.  The Shakers were one such group.  The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing were also known as the Shakers because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services.  They are known today for their simplicity of design in architecture, furniture and textiles.

One of the western Shaker communities has been partially restored as the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.  Pleasant Hill was a Shaker Community from 1805-1910.  At its peak, 400 individuals lived there.  What an industrious group!  One of their early leaders, Mother Ann, had a saying "Do all your work as though you have thousand years to live and as you would if you knew you must die tomorrow."  And they did!   

They quarried nearby limestone and built enormous, 4-story, communal living homes that housed 50+ people each.  The walls are lined at eye level with pegs where they hung chairs, tables, sconces for lighting, and personal belongings so that the floors could be swept without obstruction.   

They devised water sources for indoor plumbing before such conveniences were available in that region of Kentucky.   

Storage Chests - Top Floor - Centre Family Dwelling

They grew and preserved massive quantities of food which not only fed the large community, but the excess was put on flatboats and floated down the Kentucky River to the Ohio and Mississippi and sold in New Orleans.  With the money earned from these sales, the Shakers purchased sugar and other supplies they could not make for themselves.

Pump House on Left, Men's Bath House on Right

The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill consists of over 40 wooden, limestone and brick buildings from the original community.  The buildings that are open to tour have original Shaker furniture, textiles and household items.  Throughout the museum, you can see demonstrations of Shaker woodworking, weaving and other crafts.  Each hour an introductory tour starts at the crossroads where a guide tells you about the Shaker way of life and the history of the community after the Shakers left it.  There is a restaurant in the Trustee’s Office building that provides yummy lunches and dinners, and the folks at the front ticket booth will be happy to make a reservation for you if you didn’t call ahead.

Trustee's Office

Meeting House

We were impressed by the museum and the Shakers that had lived in the community.  The large meeting hall is supported by 12 limestone pillars underneath (because there was a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on there) and had massive roof beams, joists and rafters that are held together with tongue and groove construction.  No nails, no pegs.  You can go into the attic and look at them.  The high ceiling rooms in the communal living houses are well ventilated with large glass windows in every room.  The large, cool basements held food stores.

Tongue and Grooved Rafters - Meeting House

What we learned about the Shakers was also impressive.  They institutionalized women in leadership roles.  They were pacifists and did not practice slavery.  During the Civil War they tended the wounded and fed both Union and Confederate troops as they passed through.  Children who were brought into the sect were taught up to an 8^th grade education and then taught a trade.  If at 21 the young adults chose to leave the community, they left with tools of their trade and money to start a new life in “The World”.  The sect had some rigid views, including practicing celibacy, so two thirds of the children did leave.  Perhaps that is why the Shakers eventually died out at Pleasant Hill.  Also, the Shaker way of life was primarily agricultural and didn’t fare well in an industrial world.  We were told that there are still 4 Shakers today at a community in New York.

If you still have the time, for a few dollars more you can take a ride on the Dixie Belle stern paddle riverboat down the Kentucky River for an hour.  The captain narrates the voyage with information about the geologic and natural history of the river, and how the Shakers and present day people use the Kentucky River.  It was very interesting, and restful to be chugging down the river for an hour.  The drive down to the wharf is a narrow, windy, one-lane road with a limestone cliff on one side and a drop-off on the other.  We were told that school and tour buses make the trip down.  It was tricky in our 30 foot motor home, so we aren’t sure how they did it.  AND we met a car coming up the hill who had to back down until it got to a “wide spot” in the road so we could pass.  On the trip back up the hill after the boat ride, one of the deck hands drove to the top and stopped descending traffic until we could all get up the hill.

Aboard the Dixie Belle

Limestone Palisades, Kentucky River