Local Economies, Global Impacts
Billy Rankin, VP of Public Programming and Organizational Strategy Have you visited Shaker Village in the last few years? If ...
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The End of the Beginning
Laura Webb, Program Specialist That’s a wrap, folks! My time officially working on the NEH grant project has come to ...
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Ready For Its Close-Up
Laura Webb, Program Specialist Happy New Year, y’all! Did you miss me? The NEH grant series took a hiatus last ...
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2020 – A Year Like No Other
Melissa Donahoo, Development Coordinator The staff and administration at Shaker Village entered 2020 with a high level of energy and ...
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Today in Pleasant Hill History – December 6th
Jacob A. Glover, PhD, Director of Public Programs and Education "This is a remarkable cold windy day. This day one of ...
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A Passion for a Special Place
Margaret Graves, Campaign Director Ellen Chapman has a special passion for Shaker Village. She first visited Shaker Village as a ...
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Today in Pleasant Hill History – November 22
Jacob A. Glover, PhD, Director of Public Programs and Education We’re unveiling a new series this afternoon that we are ...
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Photo Finish
Laura Webb, Program Specialist It’s the penultimate month of our NEH grant project! Time sure flies, doesn’t it? Since July, ...
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Prying with a Purpose
Laura Webb, Program Specialist "Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. " - Zora Neale Hurston ...
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An Enduring Legacy
Jacob Glover, Ph.D., Director of Public Programs and Education "Great architecture has this capacity to adapt to changing functional uses ...
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Donor Impact
Melissa Donahoo, Development Coordinator In the 1970s, the trees in the Shaker Village Apple Orchard were planted in honor of ...
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Out of the Blue
Laura Webb, Program Specialist What does the color combination of blue and white remind you of? Perhaps it is Blue ...
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Built For A Purpose
Jacob Glover, PhD, Director of Public Programs and Education “…Shrieks and yells followed in alternate succession, till by their violence, ...
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“Could Scarcely Find / A Theme More Puzzling…”
Laura Webb, Program Specialist Hi again! The NEH digitization project is chugging right along. Last week, I finished editing object ...
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Building a Masterpiece
Jacob A. Glover, PhD, Director of Public Programs and Education “…The brethren started into the woods, about 3 ½ miles ...
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A Benign Spit-Shine
Laura Webb, Program Specialist Hello again, folks! We’re now halfway through our NEH grant timeline. I’m approaching the home stretch ...
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Shirred and Swirled
Laura Webb, Program Specialist In a previous post, I mentioned that sifting through our object records let me find large ...
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Curses and Serendipity: Artifact Homecomings
Laura Webb, Program Specialist Warning – The following post shares the stories of historic artifacts that have, in the past, ...
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Pieces of Pleasant Hill: Objects + Stories
By Maggie McAdams, Education and Engagement Manager Do you have a favorite Shaker artifact? When you think of Pleasant Hill, ...
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Past “Perfection,” Depth and Breadth
Laura Webb, Program Specialist Hello again! Welcome to the second installment of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant ...
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Sharing the Archives, One Bite at a Time
Laura Webb, Program Specialist "I visited here in 1993 and remember seeing an interesting clothes press. Where is that now, ...
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A Gift to be Simple
Maggie McAdams, Assistant Program Manager “’Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free, ‘tis a gift ...
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“There being a contagious disease…”
Aaron Genton, Collections Manager Social distancing.Stay at home orders.No school.No worship.Essential activities only.Take care of each other. Sound familiar? While ...
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Cooking is an Art
Jacob Glover, PhD., Program Manager “Indeed, cooking is an art just as much as painting a picture or making a ...
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Kindly Welcome
Maggie McAdams, Assistant Program Manager “… We observed one very pleasant feature… conspicuous above many other excellencies, nearly every person ...
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“…the Department for the Sick…”
Jacob Glover, PhD. Program Manager "…We visited the department for the sick which was under the charge of Jane Ryan.…The ...
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A Night of Terror
Jacob Glover, PhD. Program Manager “About midnight last night, a band of mounted highway robbers, 6 in number, entered our ...
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Gender Equality, In Theory: Sister Jane Sutton
Maggie McAdams, Assistant Program Manager This blog post is dedicated to Rebekah Roberts who sought the truth in the past, ...
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Sister Charlotte Tann: Strengthened by Faith
Holly Wood, Music Program Specialist “And I am thankful I was called into the gospel when I was a child, ...
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Mother Ann’s Mission: Calling and Controversy
Rebekah Roberts, Program Specialist Women in the 1700s were often considered the possessions and servants of men, but Ann Lee ...
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THE TALE OF ANTHONY TANN
Brandon Wilson, Program Specialist In 1808, Shaker missionaries hiked their way through Shawnee territory in the Indiana planes, on the ...
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Donor Impact: Improvements to the Visitor Experience
Melissa Donahoo, Development Coordinator The Shakers practiced their faith at Pleasant Hill for more than a century, but their impact ...
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The Proud Custodian of Shakertown’s Past
Brandon Wilson, Program Specialist Among Pleasant Hill’s most iconic residents was Philip West, a man whose habitation in the East ...
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THE MARGINS THAT DEFINE US
Brandon Wilson, Program Specialist Over the course of its history, the Shaker community at Pleasant Hill was the spiritual home ...
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The Shaker Guest House
Jacob Glover, PhD., Program Manager “It was something out of a Faulkner novel, going there for dinner.” - Dick DeCamp, ...
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Stargazing Poets and Humbug Farmers
The Shakers were no strangers to celestial phenomena like the solar eclipse that will cast fleeting darkness over portions of ...
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Swept Away
Jacob Glover, PhD., Program Manager “These people are rich and getting richer. Contrast a Shaker broom with a penitentiary contract-labor ...
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2019 – A Year In Review
A quiet winter peace falls over Shaker Village this time of year. The bustle of the holidays is ending, and ...
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Small Acts of Kindness
Melissa Donahoo, Development Coordinator Guests attending Illuminated Evenings at Shaker Village may donate non-perishable food items or winter clothing in ...
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“…Prepared Herbs and Roots…”
Rebekah Roberts, Program Specialist “A large business is done… in pressed and prepared herbs and roots, besides many tons in ...
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A Kentucky Treasure – Mrs. Milly Ann Stewart
Barry Stumbo, Chief Development Officer Mrs. Milly Ann Stewart is a remarkable person, who has been a powerful and influential ...
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“…to be remembered as a chair…”
Jacob Glover, PhD., Program Manager "...I almost expect to be remembered as a chair, or a table..." - Shaker Sister ...
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The Campaign for Shaker Village
Melissa Donahoo, Development Coordinator Celebrating Success: Phase 1 of The Campaign for Shaker Village In late 2014, the Board of ...
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Built on Belief
Jacob Glover, PhD., Program Manager “A village of Shakers lies a few miles beyond Kentucky river, and it is curious ...
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Building a Sustainable Future
William Updike, VP of Natural and Cultural ResourcesMike Brown, Maintenance ForemanBen Leffew, Preserve ManagerLaura Baird, Assistant Preserve ManagerMike Moore, Farm ...
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“…one might suppose it would stand for a thousand years…”
Jacob Glover, PhD, Program Manager “The House is built of so dureable materials, that one might suppose it would stand ...
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“‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free…”
Jacob Glover, PhD., Program Manager By all accounts, most readers of this blog, and probably anyone who has heard any ...
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Water House Preservation…Part 2!
William Updike, Vice President of Natural and Cultural Resources Many of you may recall we began working to preserve the ...
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Kentucky’s “Storybook Wedding” Destination
Rebecca Wilson, Catering & Event Sales Manager When you book a wedding with Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, your experience ...
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Lessons from the Past, Visions for the Future
Melissa Donahoo, Development Coordinator As we have shared in previous posts, Shaker Village recently completed a large-scale preservation project in ...
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Putting Food By: Preserving the Harvest at Pleasant Hill
Maggie McAdams, Assistant Program Manager “[1855] Wed. January 3 Today George Curds barn took fire and burnt up, together with ...
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Rocking Our World
William Updike, Vice President of Natural and Cultural Resources Shaker Village has over 25 miles of historic rock fence along ...
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Going Batty!
Ben Leffew, Preserve ManagerLaura Baird, Assistant Preserve Manager Bats are an integral, but often overlooked and always misunderstood, part of ...
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A Spiritual Stroll at Shaker Village
Jacob Glover, PhD. Program Manager “Thousands of holy Angels attended this meeting, with whom was the Prophets Jeremiah, Joel, Ezekiel ...
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The Photo Within a Photo
Aaron Genton, Collections Manager While recently going through some boxes in the library, I came across this really interesting item ...
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Double Your Impact
Shaker Village Board of Trustees Offer Matching Gift Challenge Barry Stumbo, Chief Development Officer The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill ...
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Windows – The “Eyes” of a Building
William Updike, Vice President of Natural & Cultural Resources 1817 East Family Dwelling as "Shakertown Inn." Early 20th Century. Many ...
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Sam Berry, The One-Armed Outlaw
Julia Raimondi, University of Richmond Samuel Oscar Berry was one of many orphans that Shaker merchants brought back to Pleasant ...
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Family Tradition
For Ann Bakhaus, supporting Shaker Village has been a family affair. Barry Stumbo, Chief Development Officer Ann Bakhaus, recently elected ...
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Re-treat Yourself!
(or, why you should stop meeting in boring locations and host your next company retreat @ Shaker Village!) Sandra Wolcott, ...
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Happy Hammering!
Preservation Projects for the Summer of 2019 William Updike, Vice President of Natural and Cultural Resources This is an exciting ...
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Milkweed and Monarchs – Oh My!
Ben Leffew, Preserve ManagerLaura Baird, Assistant Preserve Manager Monarch butterfly in the Shaker Village Preserve Entering the summer months marks ...
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Old Buildings, New Tricks
Sustainability through Geothermal Systems William Updike, Vice President of Natural and Cultural Resources Shaker Village is on a mission to ...
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In Remembrance
Pleasant Hill bears witness to the Civil War Jacob Glover, PhD, Program Manager “Such a day as this has never ...
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Hidden Harvest
J. Michael Moore, Farm Manager As you drive the countryside and croplands of Kentucky, there’s something new appearing on the ...
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Seeing Double
Aaron Genton, Collections Manager One day earlier this week, I had a chance to see all of the Pleasant Hill ...
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Reflections of an Early Board Member
Edith S. Bingham We were driving through Shakertown. It was in 1964 or ’65, when the state road ran right ...
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50 Years of Service
Brenda Roseman It's Friday, August 1, 1969. Richard Nixon is President. Neil Armstrong has just become the first human to ...
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Doorways Through Time
How often do you stop to admire a door, when passing from one room to another? If you are like ...
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Best Hoof Forward
Gabby Kreinbrook, Equine and Stable Assistant February is always an exciting time as we come to the close (hopefully) of ...
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Fields of Fire
Ben Leffew, Preserve ManagerLaura Baird, Assistant Preserve Manager We're happy to report that on February 26 and 27 Shaker Village ...
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Sister Mary, Remembered
Maggie McAdams, Assistant Program Manager Gender equality was, and is, a hallmark of Shaker belief. In modern times, much of ...
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Of Ducks and Dirt
J Dylan Kennedy, Farm Manager During these last weeks of winter, feeding animals becomes our most regular, and important daily ...
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Herd at Work
J Dylan Kennedy, Farm Manager The latest news on the farm is pretty big for us. Our resident cattle herd ...
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“Marking” Time
Aaron Genton, Collections Manager The Pleasant Hill Shakers were known for their production of silk products. We have another set ...
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A Visitor’s Account, 1879
Aaron Genton, Collections Manager I’m sharing this visitor's account because I really like the description of the natural landscape given ...
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From a Shaker Village Supporter…
Barbara Huelette with Shaker Village VP William Updike, in front of the 1811 Old Stone Shop. “We make you kindly ...
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Harrowing History at Pleasant Hill
It’s that time of year when everyone is in a spooky mood. If you want to take part in the ...
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50 Things To Do at Shaker Village
Shaker Village opened its doors to guests from around the world in April 1968. Fifty years later, we celebrate those ...
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Community Sing at the Meeting House
On September 8, 2018, we held a Community Sing in the Meeting House to sing this amazing space back into ...
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Rocks that say 1813 and other cool facts
In the changing historic landscape of Pleasant Hill, buildings came and buildings went. It’s impossible to view the photographic and ...
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It’s Harvest Time!
What do you know about sorghum? Enjoying sticky sorghum over warm, buttered cornbread is kind of like satiating Kentucky’s first ...
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The Meeting House is Open!
Big news! The Meeting House has reopened. You may remember that we've been doing preservation work on it since last ...
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Keeping Our (Horses) Cool
Much like the Shakers, our farmers use draft horses to provide horsepower for a variety of purposes—to work the sorghum ...
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Growing Ideas at Shaker Village
Being the farm manager at Shaker Village is a pretty good gig for someone who wakes up and goes to ...
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Dixie Huffman Retires
After 46 years of employment with Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Dixie Huffman is retiring. While that is a remarkable ...
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Recipe: Rose Old Fashioned
Our official connection to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail might be recent, but the Shakers processed and distilled herbs and plants ...
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In the Words of Henry Daily…
The journals kept by the Shakers have a lot of information in them, and most of it is very basic ...
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Preservation@Work: The Belfry
As part of our current preservation project on the Centre Family Dwelling, the bell tower has been removed via crane! ...
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Celebrating 50 Years
Shaker Village, the nonprofit organization, opened its doors to guests from around the world in April 1968. By the end ...
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If These Shoes Could Talk…
If you’ve been down to the Shaker Modern exhibit in the East Family buildings, you’ve seen a bunch of old ...
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Grab Your Hard Hat!
When was the last time you visited Shaker Village? There's A LOT happening around here. And we aren't just talking ...
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Let’s Get Gardening!
As winters sits behind us (thank goodness!) and spring begins to show its face, it’s time to start thinking about ...
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Spring has Sprung at Shaker Village
Don’t be fooled by the weather–spring is here! The calendar says March 20 is the very first day of spring, but ...
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Cocktail Recipe: Slowing Thyme
With just a few warm days around the Village, we're quickly getting excited for spring. Spring means baby animals, goodies ...
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A Giveaway You’ll Love…
Still hunting for that perfect Valentine's Day gift? Enter to win two tickets to a Fresh Food Adventure at Shaker ...
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2017 Shaker Village Gift Guide
It's time to make your list and check it twice! We've got a little something for everyone on your shopping ...
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A Shaker Guide to Hosting at the Holidays
While it may come as a surprise to some, turns out, the Shakers knew how to enjoy the holiday season ...
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Bird Banding 101
Just like every department, The Preserve team has unique ways in measuring successes for Shaker Village. Since we started converting ...
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What’s that Noise?
NOTICE: PRESERVATION@WORK Geothermal drilling will commence no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and will cease no later than 6 p.m. each ...
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