Village@work

Melissa Williams, Chief Development Officer

Preservation work rarely follows a perfectly predictable path.

That has certainly been true at the 1835 East Family Wash House, where an exterior preservation project has evolved into one of the most instructive restoration efforts Shaker Village has undertaken in recent years.

The work has taken longer than originally anticipated, and along the way our team has uncovered conditions that could not have been fully understood until the building was opened. But those discoveries have also given us something valuable: a better understanding of how to approach the preservation of Pleasant Hill’s historic structures and a stronger team and process for the projects ahead.

Looking Beyond the Building Envelope

The original preservation project at the East Family Wash House focused primarily on the building envelope — siding, windows, exterior carpentry, masonry and other elements that protect the structure from the weather.

As siding and windows were removed, however, our team discovered additional needs beneath the surface.

Structural framing required repair. Problems with plumbing and electrical systems became apparent. Inside the building, work on those systems disturbed plaster and other finishes that would also need attention.

Rather than close the building back up around those problems, the decision was made to address them correctly while they were accessible.

The experience reinforced an important lesson: on a historic structure, the exterior envelope can never be considered in isolation.

Opening a wall, removing siding or replacing a window can reveal conditions that have developed over decades — sometimes generations. Future preservation projects at Shaker Village are now being planned with a more comprehensive understanding of the building and with greater consideration for what may be encountered once work begins.

A New Model for Getting the Work Done

Perhaps the most important lesson from the East Family Wash House was about how we organize the work itself.

Shaker Village is fortunate to have craftspeople with deep knowledge of Pleasant Hill’s historic buildings and the traditional materials and methods used to preserve them. The East Family Wash House project demonstrated, however, that large and complicated projects can require more construction capacity than an internal team alone can reasonably provide.

Increasingly, our preservation staff will serve not only as craftspeople, but also as the experts who help plan projects, oversee their execution and ensure the quality of work completed by outside contractors.

We have already put that approach into practice.

The recent preservation of the 1848 Post Office was completed largely by an outside contractor working under the close supervision of Shaker Village’s preservation team. While the Post Office is a smaller and less complicated building than the Wash House, this approach allowed the project to move efficiently while keeping preservation expertise and quality control firmly in the hands of the Village.

That experience is helping establish a model we can apply to additional preservation projects across Pleasant Hill, including the 1847 Cooper’s Shop preservation that is now underway and the 1821 West Family Dwelling project that will kick off before year end.

Strengthening the Team Behind the Work

As our approach has evolved, so has the preservation team itself.

Shaker Village recently reorganized several staff roles to better reflect the expertise required to care for more than 30 historic structures and to support an increasing number of projects involving architects, contractors and specialized preservation partners.

Robert Brown now serves as Historic Preservation Project Manager, supporting project logistics and overseeing quality control for historic preservation work across the property. Robert also serves as an important liaison between outside contractors and Shaker Village, helping ensure that every project meets the standards appropriate for these nationally significant structures.

Terry Cowart serves as Carpentry Shop Foreman, overseeing the organization and care of the Village’s wood shop, its equipment and materials, as well as training and supervision for staff working there.

Our former Paint Team and carpentry staff have also been brought together as the Restoration Department, better reflecting the broad range of work they perform.

Mike Worthington serves as Restoration Foreman, John Ray as Restoration Carpenter, and Bobby Dixon and Derrick Brady as Restoration Specialists.

Together, they bring decades of practical experience with the buildings, materials and craftsmanship of Pleasant Hill — while continually learning new preservation techniques and working alongside architects, contractors and other specialists.

That combination of institutional knowledge and outside expertise will be increasingly important as Shaker Village takes on larger and more complex preservation projects.

Doing It Right — Not Simply Getting It Done

There is still work ahead at the East Family Wash House.

Remaining exterior work includes repairs to framing and the cornice, installation of window sashes, masonry repointing, gutters, improved site drainage and shutters. Interior repairs associated with the plumbing work and the renovation of the second-floor bathrooms will follow.

When the work is complete, the building will be stronger because of what was discovered along the way. So will Shaker Village.

Preserving Pleasant Hill is not simply a matter of completing a list of projects. It is an ongoing process of understanding these buildings more deeply, strengthening the people and systems responsible for their care, and carrying lessons from one project into the next.

The East Family Wash House has challenged our team, but it has also made us better.

Every preservation project that follows will benefit from what we have learned here.

The preservation of the 1835 East Family Wash House was made possible by six donors who pooled their resources to fund the restoration. Learn more about current opportunities to support preservation at Shaker Village here.

Gabrielle McMahon-Csaki, Preserve Technician

The end of summer at Shaker Village brings blooming goldenrod and white wing stem at West Lot, monarchs flitting over the milkweed on their migration southward, and flushes of bright white mushrooms in the woods along Shawnee Run. The seasonal change also marks the beginning of a new period: the Snapshot USA field season.

Snapshot USA is a collaborative nationwide mammal survey affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute. For the past seven years, organizations across all fifty states have deployed trail cameras with standardized protocols to collect wildlife data that can be used for conservation management and research studies. Last fall was Shaker Village’s first year as a participant.

A Perfect Match

Shaker Village’s “3,000 acres of discovery” are incredibly well-suited to participate in the survey – there is a gradient of mixed grass prairie, deciduous hardwood forest, and xeric cliffs of the Palisades, a diversity of habitats that suggests that the nature preserve would be host to a healthy northeastern mammal community. Coyotes howl in the evenings, white-tailed deer scamper out from beneath the sycamores each twilight, and the occasional possum shows its toothy smile in the Historic Village.

There is also a possibility that some of Kentucky’s rarest mammals could call the preserve their home. Cane-breaks on the property could provide habitat for golden mice and least weasels, and the limestone crevices on the cliffs above the Kentucky River could hide Alleghany woodrats and their middens of nuts and seeds. Golden mice, least weasels, and woodrats are all highly secretive in their habits. Trail camera surveys allow members of the preserve team to look out for these sensitive mammals with minimal disturbance to their habitats.

Location Matters

Trail camera locations across the Village were selected to encompass a variety of forested habitats, from the heavily invaded bush honeysuckle thickets along forest edges where we host Stewardship Saturdays, to the pawpaw understories along the Kentucky River. Locations away from the trail system were selected to ensure hiker privacy.

After trail cameras are retrieved, the images are uploaded to an artificial intelligence software that sorts them based on when the camera was triggered. The AI generates a suggestion for the species and number of animals that are in each image sequence. The researchers for each site must painstakingly confirm each of these suggestions to ensure that each observation is accurate. Many rainy or snowy winter days were spent checking over our camera images and confirming identifications of raccoons, possums, and hundreds of eastern gray squirrels dashing up trees and over the leaf litter.

Over the course of the two-month survey period last fall, Shaker Village was able to capture more than 3,000 trail camera image sequences – that’s roughly 33,000 images of wildlife on the preserve. We detected at least fifteen species of mammals, including bobcats, coyotes, and southern flying squirrels. While Snapshot USA is focused on mammal activity, the preserve’s trail cameras also captured twelve species of birds, including the preserve’s honorary mascot, the bobwhite quail.

This fall, Shaker Village is participating again in Snapshot USA, with four additional camera locations in the hopes of continuing to collect data on the animals that reside in this historic corner of the Bluegrass.

The first set of trail cameras for the 2026 rendition of Snapshot USA have already been deployed on the preserve. We hope that we can collect and share even more information about Shaker Village’s wildlife!

To learn more about the preserve at Shaker Village click here.

HP Lovelace, Farm Manager

It’s been an amazing year for growing grass. Looking out at the lush green pastures and lawns, I’m surprised it’s late September and not late June. And of course, I’m grateful for this bounty as are the fattened livestock and the myriad of creatures that call this grass home. There are, of course, places where I sometimes wish the grass might take a break such as along stone or wooden fencerows and particularly beneath the bee hives.

Beyond any aesthetics, tall grass compromises the health of the bees. Tall vegetation increases moisture, reduces ventilation and creates an ideal habitat for the dreaded hive beetles which can and are devastating colonies in the southeast United States. For that reason, all but three of our 39 hives are elevated above concrete. For the remaining hives, the grass must be cut.

Unfortunately, bees are not privy to these noble intentions and have been known to retaliate with fierce attacks. Bees are sensitive to noise, vibration, and changes in air quality. So, herbicides that broadcast toxins, along with mowers and weed eaters that shake the ground and release CO2 are probably the wrong tools for the job.

At Shaker Village, we elect to use a scythe, as the Shakers probably did. The scythe is nearly silent, and it’s possible to complete the task without alerting the bees to our work. We still wear protective equipment, arrive before the sun tells the bees it’s time to fly, try to hold our breath or at least refrain from talking, and consciously avoid any accidental contact with the bee boxes. And we are always prepared, if necessary, to run!

Bees are amazing—their ability to pollinate the flowers and then create honey and beeswax is nothing short of a miracle. It is a joy, in our small way, to lend a hand. 

You can taste the fruits of our labor by purchasing a bottle of Shaker Village Honey online or in our onsite Shops.

Amanda Birch, Development Coordinator

For more than 200 years, Shaker Village has been shaped by people who returned again and again — to work the land, to care for one another and to preserve something larger than themselves. That spirit still guides us today.

This March, we are proud to introduce Membership at Shaker Village — an evolution of our Annual Pass program that reflects not just how people visit the Village, but why they return.

At its heart, much remains the same. Membership continues to offer complimentary access to The Historic Centre, The Farm and The Preserve. It provides the freedom to walk the trails, attend signature events and return as often as you like throughout the year. The value that passholders have come to rely on — access, flexibility and ease — continues unchanged.

What has evolved is the way those benefits come together.

Membership brings greater intention to how people experience the Village. In addition to the access members already enjoy, the program now includes new ways to deepen that relationship — from preferred member benefits across the site to thoughtfully designed member-only experiences throughout the year.

These experiences are designed to slow the pace and invite return visits. They create opportunities for members to linger, learn something new and experience the Village in ways not always possible during a single-day visit.

Membership also reflects a rhythm of return. Through frequent visits and shared experiences, members become part of the ongoing life of the Village—shaping how it is experienced today and carried forward over time.

Membership at Shaker Village is not a departure from what people know. It is a refinement of what has always mattered. It is about access, made easier. Connection, made deeper. Stewardship, made visible.

We invite you to explore Membership at Shaker Village — and to continue making this place part of your life, season after season.

Learn more about Membership at Shaker Village by visiting our website and reach out to our team at [email protected].