Hancock Shaker Village

While the Shakers started in England, they flourished in the United States under the leadership of Ann Lee in the 1780s.  Their beliefs had an appeal to those who believed in labor for all, celibacy and rights for both men and women.  They felt that their commune would be paradise on earth and would reflect life in the next world.  

Today in the Village twenty historic buildings are open for visitors.  We had toured a similar village in Kentucky and found this one also of unique interest

 

1826 Round Stone Barn where some of the timbers date back to the 1700s.

The Shakers did not have a religious leader.  If, during a service, someone was motivated to speak, sing or dance, they simply got up and did what they felt.  A docent taught us a Shaker melody that is simple in words but highly spiritual.  

The dormitory, where men dwell on one side and women on the other, dates to 1830. 

 

 The general membership dined in silence in the main dining hall.  

The Elders had their own private dining room.  Some people are more equal than others.  

    

The Meetinghouse was moved here from Shirley, MA.

A local woodcrafter demonstrates turning  techniques on a 19th century water powered lathe.

The last remaining Shakers are two elderly women and one young man still living in another Shaker village in Maine.