volunteer

Small Acts of Kindness

Billy Rankin

Melissa Donahoo, Development Coordinator

Guests attending Illuminated Evenings at Shaker Village may donate non-perishable food items or winter clothing in lieu of admission.

The Shakers sought to create ‘heaven on earth’ in the communities they developed, including here at Pleasant Hill. Founded in Manchester, England in the mid-1700s, this Christian society sought freedom in the New World to practice their faith, which included communal living and the belief that men, women and all races were created equal. The Shaker story is one of inclusion and equality that is not only relevant today, but also very powerful, as we each seek to understand our own, local community’s place in this global world.

Throughout this past year, we have asked our community to support this nonprofit organization and National Historic Landmark by dining, shopping, staying, exploring, volunteering and donating. We have had a tremendously successful year largely thanks to you and the support we have received.

But we wouldn’t be good community members ourselves if we didn’t, in turn, support others. Below are a few examples of how Shaker Village has given back this year. We share these examples in the hope of inspiring others, whether individuals or organizations, to look within their own communities to identify needs and do what they can to help.

We support food security for local families.

  • Over 300 lbs. of produce grown at Shaker Village was donated to Grace Café, a pay-what-you-can restaurant in Danville, Kentucky.
  • 820 lbs. of venison harvested on The Preserve at Shaker Village was donated to Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, and distributed to three local food banks.
  • 369 food items and 223 articles of clothing have been collected this month, in lieu of admission to evening programs, and donated to the Christian Life Center in Harrodsburg, Kentucky for local families in need.
Staff and volunteers at Grace Cafe receiving donated produce from the Shaker Village gardens.

We support other nonprofit organizations.

  • In 2019, we donated goods and services valued at nearly $20,000 to 179 local nonprofits, including churches and schools, to assist with fundraising for their own organizations.

Our staff regularly volunteer their time to support other community organizations.

  • Every year, Shaker Village staff support clean-up projects at Camp Horsin’ Around, a summer camp for children with medical and other special needs, through the Lean to Green program.
  • Maynard Crossland, CEO is a member of the Kentucky Heritage Council Advisory Board, supporting the preservation of historic places across Kentucky.
  • Bob Gigliotti, VP of Hospitality, serves as a member of the Mercer County/Harrodsburg Tourism Commission, supporting all businesses in Mercer County through marketing and promotional efforts.
  • Billy Rankin, VP of Public Programming & Organizational Strategy serves on the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce Board, as Harrodsburg’s 250th Anniversary Marketing Co-Chair, on the Mercer County Extension Office Council, and is active in the Kiwanis Club.
Shaker Village staff volunteered to clean camper cabins at Camp Horsin’ Around as part of the ‘Lean to Green’ program.

We are committed to inspiring generations through discovery.

  • 1,776 active and veteran military members received free admission to Shaker Village in 2019.
  • Over 600 Mercer County residents were granted free admission to Shaker Village and to ride the Dixie Belle riverboat as part of our annual ‘Mercer County Week.’
  • During the government shutdown at the beginning of the year, Shaker Village provided free admission for all government employees.
  • Recognizing that summer learning loss is a serious problem for students in our community, Shaker Village provided summer camp scholarships for 6 local, at-risk students.

As the Pleasant Hill Shakers routinely donated food and gave shelter to those in need, we are also proud to support our community, recognizing that we are all stronger when working together.

Reflections of an Early Board Member

Billy Rankin

Edith S. Bingham

We were driving through Shakertown. It was in 1964 or ’65, when the state road ran right through the middle, past a filling station, then the Meeting House and the Trustees Office, opposite the Centre Family Dwelling, and on toward the East Family Dwelling. As a lover of architectural history, I was thrilled with the handsome buildings that Barry Bingham, Sr. was showing me so enthusiastically! He and Mary had helped enable the purchase of these buildings, and the historic property.

Edith S. Bingham
Photo Courtesy of Preservation Kentucky

How exciting it was to think of this site as a major attraction right there in central Kentucky! For me, learning the history and appreciating Shaker culture, the beauty of simple living and design, led to 30+ years of supporting and enjoying the structures and landscapes.

I remember the early decades that required restoration of the historic structures and the farm under the inspired management of Jim Thomas. Visitors enjoyed simple menus and local specialties in the dining rooms of the Trustees’ Office after passing by the elegant double spiral staircase.

“We make you kindly welcome.”

The 1815 Shaker Carpenter’s Shop as a Shell Filling Station c. mid 20th century.

As the ‘90s advanced, a more prosperous economy brought more visitors to the site, eager to enjoy more comforts and varied experiences at Pleasant Hill. Eventually, alcohol could be served to visitors, and menus were updated to keep up with the “culinary” market.

Costumed interpreters outside the 1824 Centre Family Dwelling c. late 1960s.

Now, carefully researched educational exhibits expose all ages to the details of Kentucky Shaker history. Wagon rides add a sense of agricultural connection to the land. Powerful messages of worship, hard work, and simplicity as recipes for beauty and purposeful lives remain for all to enjoy and contemplate.

Modern interpreters guide visitors through a variety of educational programs.

Pleasant Hill’s stunning site and landscapes invite many activities which help support the maintenance of the village as well as increase the number of visitors who can enjoy a rural countryside, take deep breaths of comfort in the shade of the ancient trees or walk down to the landing on the Kentucky River, a travel route for the Native Americans as well as many of the earliest surveyors and settlers in KY.

It has been a remarkable honor and experience to serve on the Board and support the restoration of this fabulous site, perhaps the most complete example of a Shaker community to be restored and still survive today.