24 September 2008

Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill KY

Pleasant Hill, KY is less than a 2 hour drive from Cincinnati, and is an exquisitely preserved collection of Shaker buildings and artifacts. If you have never been, I highly recommend a visit. Fall and winter are especially beautiful there, and it is worth paying to spend a night so you can see it at night when the crowds are gone, it is quiet and the stars are out. They also have many special events such as Civil War re-enactors and seasonal events which are fun.

A visit always gets us pondering different aspects of intentional communities, how people live in harmony, how that is reflected in their homes etc...

Stair hall of Central Family Dwelling with dining room beyond

Water tank building. Flag at top indicates tank is full


Meeting Room (sanctuary):

Minister's quarter's above the meeting room:



This is our favorite room, intimate with lots of natural light. This was the minister's dining room:



There is a restaurant on site, which serves salsify casserole with all evening meals:

Kentucky River Gorge, High RR bridge:

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll always remember the night we stayed there and sat on a porch during a severe thunderstorm.

We saw lightning strike a barn on the next ridge, then a small fire, then literally a "barnburner."

Then, over the next half-hour or so, we watched the fire trucks snaking up the hilly roads to put out the fire. For naught, as it turns out. The barn burned to the ground overnight.

If you've never been to Shakertown -- fire or no fire -- it's really worth a visit. The food is great, and you can pretty much turn off the world the whole time you're there.

Unknown said...

Also beautiful during the Christmas season.

Anonymous said...

Who were the Shakers? Is this an Amish splinter group?

CityKin said...

Not related to the Ammonites at all. They originated in England as a Quaker offshoot in 1747. They emigrated to America and grew their movement through the civil war period. But since they didn't believe in procreation, they eventually died out. The Pleasant Hill settlement was abandonned in the early 1900's by the few remaining believers.

bsherm said...

I'll add to the recommendations. We have been there twice, it is a great close getaway.

Actually there are still a few Shakers (4 at least count in Maine). Read the article at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers

John Bronson said...

If you get a chance, read Restoring Shakertown. It's fascinating to learn just how decrepit this village was only 50 years ago!