Preserving the Past, Planning for the Future

Creating a New Long-Range Plan for Shaker Village

Billy Rankin, Vice President of Public Programming and Marketing

For most visitors to Shaker Village, the typical conversation is framed in the “past tense.”
Who lived here? How were these buildings used? What did this look like in the 19th century? What did the Shakers believe?

As Kentucky’s largest National Historic Landmark, this makes perfect sense, of course. It has been over 200 years since Shaker missionaries first came to our state, and the rich and vibrant stories of Pleasant Hill’s rise, decline and restoration have attracted millions of visitors since our nonprofit opened the Village to the public in 1968.

There are a committed few, however, that have recently been framing their conversations about Shaker Village in the “future tense.” With these conversations come a very different set of questions.
How will we use this building? What will happen in this space? What infrastructure is needed to support higher visitation? What will our guests need, that we don’t already provide? How do we ensure Shaker Village will be healthy for generations to come?

After 55 years of sharing Pleasant Hill with the public, Shaker Village is creating a new Long-Range Plan.

Building on Success

So, what has prompted this new planning process, and what are the intended outcomes?

Over the last decade, Shaker Village has tackled a number of major challenges and celebrated many successes. We have made great strides in historic preservation, exhibit installation, care of the grounds, upgrades to infrastructure, growth of our endowment and increases in annual visitation, passholders and individual donors. There is still much to be done to preserve and care for the buildings and property at Pleasant Hill, but we have turned an important corner. Our successes have built momentum, and with this momentum comes the opportunity for continued growth.

Shaker Village staff meet with representatives from Bernheim Forest to discuss initiatives to increase youth engagement at the Village.

In late 2021, the Shaker Village Board of Trustees, recognizing this pivotal moment in our nonprofit’s history, created a Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) and commissioned it with developing a new Master Site Plan for the property.  The committee, chaired by Centre College President Emeritus Dr. John Roush, is comprised of a select group of architects, preservationists and business people from the Board of Trustees, joined by members of the Village’s Senior Leadership staff.

Doing Our Homework

The LRPC wasted no time getting started with their assignment. In the last 18 months this committee has conducted studies of Shaker Village’s operations and identified key challenges and opportunities.

Shaker Village Curator Becky Soules speaks with an interpreter during a site visit to Colonial Williamsburg.

Members of the LRPC have made site visits to nearly 20 other cultural sites to draw comparisons and learn from shared experiences. These visits, to organizations including Colonial Williamsburg, Conner Prairie, Bernheim Forest, Yew Dell Gardens, and the Kentucky Historical Society, have inspired the team at Shaker Village not only through learning of successes, but by also learning of mistakes made by each organization along the way. 

The LRPC also conducted a series of interviews with architects, landscape designers and master site planning specialists to prepare for the questions and inevitable hurdles Shaker Village will face when implementing its own Master Site Plan.

Staying on Mission

One bit of wisdom the LRPC has taken from their study has been: “just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should do something.” Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is an incredibly special place, and always has been. As our team works to enhance guest experiences, grow visitation and increase accessibility, it is incredibly important that nothing we do detracts from what the Village already is.

Shaker village staff and board members visited many other cultural sites over the last 18 months, including Conner Prairie in Indiana.

This perfect balance of preservation and hospitality is where the magic of Shaker Village is found.

To guide our team’s efforts, every idea and concept is run through a series of “strategy screen questions” and ultimately viewed through the lens of our mission, to inspire generations of guests through discovery, by sharing the legacies of the Kentucky Shakers.

As our team examines needs for additional overnight rooms, kitchen space, programming areas and more, coming back to our strategy screen and mission ensures that future projects are in line with the spirit and identity of Shaker Village, and only augment the overall experience of the site.

What Comes Next?

In the coming months, the LRPC will select and partner with a firm that specializes in master site planning for large, diverse properties. Together, they will refine a list of projects and initiatives that help to preserve the property, while enhancing guest experiences. At the end of this process, the leadership of Shaker Village will have drawings, site maps and other renderings to share this vision for the future to the public.

According to Dr. Roush, “Shaker Village is going to be here, as an organization and as an historic site, for a very long time. We are taking our time to plan for the long-term. Some tasks we discuss may be accomplished relatively soon, while others are years away, but the important thing is that we have a thoughtful plan that provides a playbook for the success and longevity of this incredibly unique place.”

Follow Our Progress

As plans develop, you can expect to hear more about the progress on social media, through emails and on the Shaker Village blog. We hope you follow along!

If you have questions about master site planning at Shaker Village, please reach out to our Vice President of Public Programming & Marketing, Billy Rankin at brankin@shakervillageky.org or 859.734.1574.

Re-treat Yourself!

(or, why you should stop meeting in boring locations and host your next company retreat @ Shaker Village!)

Sandra Wolcott, Group Sales Manager

I’ve had some time to think about what type of informative blog I could share with you all, and hopefully one that doesn’t seem like a pain to read all of the way through! (Is it too late to turn this into a short podcast?)

So let’s dive right in! I joined the Shaker Village team over a year ago as a Sales Manager and honestly, I keep learning new things about the Shakers and this village every day. It’s pretty rare to have something so unique to offer companies, and many of our visitors have become like a second family to me.

I even get to hang out with ducks, cows, horses and goats twice a week, and I feel like you should have that opportunity as well!

So with that in mind… let’s think about three things to ask yourself before you plan your next company retreat:

  1. Is there a restaurant that provides a private room and serves fresh local ingredients?
  2. What about comfortable meeting spaces that encourages brainstorming, but also gives you some elbowroom?
  3. Would you like an experience that leaves you feeling refreshed?

I have been in Hospitality for almost 10 years and I always ask myself these questions to find out if my venue will hold my attention, or more specifically, be worth the cost.

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, or as some of you have known it, “Shakertown”, can really be a venue for any type of event (because Hospitality is our jam!)

Now, in Kentucky we have this wonderful landscape to play in. Rolling hills with endless views (also endless bourbon options). Not only that but we have all of this rich history right in our own backyard.

For example…

This building, the West Lot Dwelling, is almost 200 years old and over-looks miles of equestrian trails.

You could meet in an office building made of glass with a city view, or in a row of buildings that overlook a busy road in town, but here at Shaker Village…you get this!

Boomer (the cat) was actually my first tour guide when I joined the team (and my first work friend)! He walked with me to each building until he felt like I was comfortable enough to take it from there. Mostly you’ll find him sleeping in a window or sunbathing on a patch of grass.

My love of Boomer is distracting me!

Let’s get back to showing you some more of our meeting rooms!

Now this building used to be a Shaker wash house. (Give me an excel spreadsheet and some pie charts before manually wringing out clothes any day!) There is even a breakout room upstairs, easy access to a large parking lot, and it is next to buildings with overnight guest rooms.

Shaker Village also has 72 guest rooms to choose from, and each one has its own unique style.

I also have to show you the Cellar in the West Family Dwelling! It has a bar built in, which is perfect for a banquet. There is also a small meeting room on the second floor.

I did save our largest rent-able meeting space for last. The 1820 Meeting House can accommodate up to 100 people! It is also centrally located off the turnpike and used for several of our daily programs. (And, we won’t make you sit on the benches for your meeting. Promise.)

There can be multiple rental options for a retreat here at Shaker Village. Let’s not forget, we also have 3,000 acres to play in. We can customize and tailor each individual group experience. All you have to do is ask!

We have facilitators available for team building and strategic planning. A/V equipment is also available for your convenience, and indoor/outdoor back-up plans are prepared for any weather situation.

We offer catering through our restaurant, and you’ll be amazed at what Chef Amber Hokams can do with fresh ingredients from the garden, and how flexible she can be with dietary restrictions.

So why should you go to a corporate brand when you can actively contribute to a non-profit that keeps history alive?

You will have an experience to always remember here at Shaker Village, and if it isn’t the cows, unique meeting rooms and guest rooms, scenic views, mouthwatering food, or Boomer the Cat, then I don’t know how else to get you here….

Maybe The Dixie Belle! It holds up to 115 passengers and cruises the Kentucky River from Shaker Landing. You can even rent the entire boat and add catering!

The Shakers have a saying that I stand by, in every way.

“We make you kindly welcome.”

I look forward to hearing from you soon! Also, not too bad for my first blog, right?  Maybe I should have added the full-grown ducks…they waddle like penguins around the Village. Next time?

Click here to learn more about hosting your meeting or retreat at Shaker Village!