Restoring Shakertown: The Struggle to Save the Historic Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

Synopsis

Mother Ann Lee founder of the Shakers, articulated a vision of a community that embraced sacrifice over the needs of the individual; the result was one of the most successful utopian experiments of nineteenth-century America. The Shakers, an idealistic offshoot of the ascetic Quaker religion, grew to as many as six thousand members in nineteen communities reaching from New England to the Midwest. Lee's experiment, focused mainly on simplicity, celibate communal living, and sexual equality, provided a model of prosperity for more than one hundred years. Founded in 1806, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, was a thriving community located in the center of the bluegrass region. After the Civil War, a steadily shrinking membership resulted in the gradual decline of this remarkable community, and the last remaining Shaker to reside at Pleasant Hill died in 1923. In the years immediately following, it appeared as though the village would fall prey to neglect and a lack of historic preservation. In 1961, however, local citizens formed a private not-for-profit organization to preserve and restore the village and to interpret the rich heritage of the Pleasant Hill Shakers for future generations. Over several years, and against incredible odds, this group succeeded in raising the funds necessary for the restoration projects. By 1968, eight buildings at Shakertown, carefully adapted for modern use while retaining their historical and architectural significance, had been opened to the public. Thomas Parrish's Restoring Shakertown masterfully explains how the Shaker settlement was saved from the ravages of time and transformed into a nationally renowned landmark of historic preservation. In chronicling how the hopes of the early fund-raisers were quickly challenged by the harsh reality of economic hardships, the book serves as a valuable study in modern philanthropy. Parrish also details how the village negotiated legal challenges and how its final plans for creating awareness of the Shakers' legacy set the standard for later museum developments around the country. In addition to recounting the remarkable history of the formation and eventual demise of the "Shaking Quakers," Parrish presents a dramatic chronicle of the village's evolving fortunes. From describing the challenges of financing the restoration to finding preservation experts to achieve the highest standards of authenticity, Restoring Shakertown reveals the complexities and rewards of the preservation of one of Kentucky's most significant historical and architectural sites. THOMAS PARRISH has written a number of books on twentieth-century history, including Roosevelt and Marshall: Partners in Politics and War and The Submarine: A History. He is also author of The Grouchy Grammarian.

Copyright:

2005

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

172 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780813123646

Publisher:

University Press of Kentucky

Date of Addition:

06/22/23

Copyrighted By:

Thomas Parrish

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Religion and Spirituality

Submitted By:

Terry Gorman

Proofread By:

Terry Gorman

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.

Foreword by:

Thomas D. Clark