Thursday, November 17, 2011

Shaker Village, Part 1

One of the places we love to visit is Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. Although Pleasant Hill is only a few hours away from our home in Cincinnati, we don't seem to make it there very often. ,

On our drive back from visiting our fathers in Florida a few weeks ago, we decided to stop for a long overdue visit.  An additional incentive to stop this time is that there is currently a small needlework exhibit which runs until the end of the year.  Perhaps some of you read about Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill and the exhibit in a recent edition of Early American Life.

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, with its 34 buildings, is America's largest restored Shaker community.   The Shakers were the largest American communal society during the 19th century.  The Shakers believed in living peacefully.  They also believed in celibacy.  Men and women were considered equal.  You can read more about the Shaker here.

If you have the time, we highly recommend you spend the night on the grounds and eat in the wonderful dining room.  You won't be disappointed!

We planned our visit this time in order to arrive in time for dinner, then spend the night, and tour the village the next day, and still be back in Cincinnati at the end of the day.

We could not have chosen a lovelier time to be at Shaker Village.  Although we missed the peak of the fall foliage, there were still lots and lots of colorful leaves on the trees.  The weather was beautiful--sunny with crisp fall temperatures.  The other nice thing was that there were no crowds.  Especially at night when we walked the old street, it felt like we had the place to ourselves.  I really don't know of a more peaceful place to be.

Would you believe we took over 100 photos during our short stay?  (I won't subject you to them all--I've chosen the ones I think you'll find most interesting.)  I've divided our photos into 3 groups: outside views of the village, inside views of some of the buildings, and the textile exhibit.  Today I'm starting with views of the outside of the buildings.












7 comments:

Nicole said...

What a lovely spot! I haven't been to that one, but I grew up near the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire, and it looks very similar (but for the hills; the Canterbury Shakers had an absolutely gorgeous hilltop community, with amazing views in every direction). I have always enjoyed my visits there!

Cari said...

Oh my gosh...I could move right in!! Thanks for sharing Ellen. Hugs and Happy Thanksgiving.

Barb said...

Hi Ellen, Thank you for the wonderful pictures. We spent many happy hours at Pleasant Hill when we lived in Louisville. Autumn was my favorite time to visit. We lived in upstate NY for a time and often visited Handcock Shaker village. They are both very special places!

Marilyn said...

Great pics Ellen.
Marilyn

Bertie said...

Gorgeous pictures Ellen, the houses are fabulous and it must be so peaceful living there. The Highlander is lovely, we have those roaming on our common.
Have a lovely weekend.

Cindy said...

Thanks for sharing. This is one of our favorite places to visit as well and I love the memories that your post stirred.

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Thanks for sharing the pictures today. They brought back fond memories! I really adore that place.