Community

Melissa Williams, Development Coordinator

“We are so indebted to the fact that they had that foresight and that passion to do it. We’ve got to have the same foresight today, and the same sense of passion about this place in order to make sure it’s here for the next generation and the generation after that.” – Maynard Crossland, President & CEO

This month the nonprofit organization that operates this historic site celebrates its 60^th Anniversary. As we cross this milestone, the enormity of what we have accomplished over the last six decades to preserve the site and interpret the Shakers is overwhelming.  But, perhaps what makes Shaker Village most special, is what it means to each person who has visited in the last 60 years.

RECOUNTING VISITOR MEMORIES

A couple of years ago we asked our Facebook followers about their first visit to Shaker Village and we had 100+ responses.  While we knew that Shaker Village was a special place, the comments confirmed that our visitors feel that way too.  We were both inspired and humbled by the outpouring of love.  

“My college professor took us on a field trip there and we had lunch. I was 20. I’ve been smitten with Shaker village ever since.” – Debi Cain

“I have been several times, but the best was when all our family went with our dad. He is no longer with us, but the memory is everlasting. This is a beautiful place, with rich history.” – Cindy Bates

“I was 11 when we moved here from Michigan, 1995. We visited Shaker Village and I know I loved it then. I am an annual cardholder, take my children as an adult now.” – Kenna Routt

“I believe I was about 8 or 10 years old when my parent took me.  I liked it then but really grew to love it when I started coming back as an adult in my late 20s.” – Laura Hall

“I visited Shaker Village when I was around 13. My most memorable visit was Valentines Day 1985. My husband proposed that night.” – Connie Howerton

Over the years we have hosted individuals from across the country and abroad.  School children have explored The Farm and the historic buildings on field trips. Families have stayed with us over the Thanksgiving holiday year after year.  We’ve held events like Craft Fair, the Chamber Music Festival and Illuminated Events that have become annual traditions for many. Each visitor has a personal, unique reason that keeps them connected to the site and coming back time after time. 

This week we are launching a public Tribute to Shaker Village to capture the reason(s) why you love Shaker Village and your memories of visiting over the years. Click here to visit the Tribute page and join us in celebrating this important anniversary.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

The stories that you share with us highlights how important it is to be persistent in our task. As we celebrate this milestone, we are already looking ahead to the next 60 years and considering how to preserve this site for future generations. 

To prepare, we are continuing to work on strengthening our business operations, which means continued improvements and innovations to the guest experience.  We are currently undertaking a $2.1 million project to install 20,000 square feet of new, permanent exhibits across the site.  Fundraising for this project is at about 17% of the goal, with contributions from private donors and funding through grant awards. These exhibits, and the Shaker Village App (launching soon), will provide guests with new ways to discover Shaker history. The dual approach of physical exhibits and a digital experience will also provide Shaker Village with the flexibility to adapt the guest experience over time as audience expectations continue to evolve.

The guest experience is only one of the keys to our future success.  We must also continue the preservation work of the 34 historic Shaker buildings that began in the 1960s. Shaker Village takes a dual approach to this important work by committing to annual maintenance while also taking on full-scale restoration projects such as the one underway now on the 1817 East Family Dwelling.  Full restoration will be needed periodically in the future as regular use of the buildings and environmental factors impact the structure.

To ensure the future of the site we are also working to build our endowment.  Since 2014, we have raised $6.2 million to grow our endowment to approximately $10 million.  There are several endowment funds, including one dedicated to building maintenance and preservation, that will provide operational income in the future. These endowment funds are critical to ensuring a strong financial future.

HELP SUPPORT THE NEXT 60 YEARS

If we can learn one thing from the community leaders who helped form Shakertown in the 1960s, it is that we should remain undaunted by the task of preserving this site for future generations.  They succeeded in saving the 34 historic buildings that remain at Shaker Village today and they succeeded in drawing an audience who fell in love with and understood the specialness of Pleasant Hill.

You can help support Shaker Village’s next 60 years!

• Come and visit us!  Participate in the Daily Programs, dine at The Trustees’ Table, and stay overnight in one of our 72 hotel rooms.
• Hike or Ride on the trails.  We have nearly 37-miles of multi-use trails that run through our stunning nature preserve. The summer and fall are great times to explore the natural habitat.
• Bring a friend with you! Or tell a friend about the experience you had when you visited.
• Purchase an Annual Pass. We offer three types of passes which provide you with special benefits and your passholder fees directly support our programming, historic preservation, The Preserve and more.
• Donate. A gift of any size will support Shaker Village today and help us build a bright future.
• Consider a donation to the Endowment. Your gift today, or through a planned estate gift, carries your love for Shaker Village and your concern for the site forward into the future to ensure Shaker Village is here for the next generation and the generation after that.

Maynard Crossland, President & CEO

Historic sites are very traditional places.  Obviously the missions of these institutions are based on the traditional values of preserving and interpreting the collective stories of our past.  History doesn’t change – what happened happened, or so it would seem.

So, if history doesn’t change, does the interpretation of history have to change and evolve?  I would argue that, yes, it does.  Certain facts about our history may not change, but our knowledge and understanding of that history does.  That dynamic is what keeps our history and the stories of the past alive and relevant from generation to generation.

Historic sites, museums and other cultural institutions are constantly struggling with this paradox.  Sometimes those of us who work to promote and interpret history feel like we have one foot in the past and the other in the future.  In order to survive, we must be relevant in the present, anticipate the future and keep digging deeper into our past.

Shaker Village has been focused on this paradox from the beginning of its development as a historic site.  In 1961, a group of dedicated preservationists organized to save what was then known as Shakertown.  As the restoration progressed, the discussions on how to tell the stories of those who lived here began.  James Cogar was soon hired as the first cultural historian with the responsibility of designing and implementing the site’s interpretation.   Mr. Cogar was one of the country’s leading experts on developing new and modern ways of interpreting historic sites.  Through his work at Colonial Williamsburg he brought a first-person interpretative model to Shaker Village.

This method of interpretation consisted of craftsmen, artisans, and interpretive staff dressed in period- appropriate costumes demonstrating crafts and day-to-day living routines of the Shakers.  It was a major departure from the more traditional interpretive format that was commonly used at that time which was based on the display of furniture, clothing, tools, and other inanimate objects safely secured behind barriers.

The decision to do things differently was in direct response to the dramatic cultural shifts that were happening after World War II into the 1960s.  The invention of television and full-color movies were major reasons the public began to expect a more interactive experience at cultural institutions and historic sites.  The first-person interpretative model met that need.  It was a major reason for the success of the Village in those early years.  The Village prospered and grew based upon that success and people came in droves to experience this new way of interpreting history.

Now let’s fast forward 60 years.  Consider the speed and intensity of cultural change between 1961 and 2021.  Who would have believed in 1961 that 60 years in the future everyone would be carrying around a powerful computer in their pocket, or that our kids would have instant access to facts and knowledge as vast and varied as the holdings of a major library?  Suddenly we are able to connect with people from all over the world with a single click, and are bombarded with instant knowledge of newsworthy events without having to wait for the morning delivery of a printed newspaper.

The effects of this change on human interactions, social norms and our daily lives is dramatic.  We can endlessly ponder both the good and the not-so-good effects of this technological revolution but none-the-less, cultural institutions, just like other businesses, must respond in order to stay relevant and engaging to the next generation.

Shaker Village found that once again our audience began signaling changing expectations, wants and needs.  This became painfully obvious as our customer base began to recede and the institution suffered significant consequences.  We were not alone as historic sites across the country began to see similar issues. Attendance and financial public support dropped off dramatically beginning in the 1990s and was heightened by the economic crisis of 2008.  We needed to respond and discover new ways of engaging the public.  The need for change was heard loud and clear. In some ways the path forward was easy to describe—identify the audience, ask them what they want, then give it to them.  Putting that in to practice is much more difficult.

Beginning in 2011 the Board of Trustees knew the future of the Village was in peril and significant steps needed to be taken.  We launched two independent studies to help guide our way forward.  One study focused on the restoration of our historic infrastructure and the other provided research and verification of our need to attract a wider customer base.  The result of these initiatives launched a capital campaign to both restore our infrastructure and modernize the guest experience.  Today we have made major progress in restoring buildings throughout the Village and have developed an expansive interactive guest experience with a major exhibition plan, outdoor learning stations, and a new app that will feature in-depth interpretation on that little computer everyone has in their pocket.   Through all of this however, one thing remained constant–the Shaker legacy and the stories that have, and always will, meander through this beautiful landscape and intertwine with the simplicity of the built environment that makes Shaker Village a very powerful place.

Letting go of old ways and launching into the unknown is never easy; it can be downright scary.  Our mission, our greatest responsibility, is to preserve the legacy of the Shaker community that rose up on this beautiful landscape overlooking the palisades of the Kentucky River.  We must give voice and power to the experiences and stories that were left behind and to the lives that were lived in order to inform, encourage and engage every new generation that follows.

The world will continue to evolve and many people will pass through yearning for answers that are hidden within our history.   What happened here will continue to have relevance and importance to each person as they travel through this continuum of life.  We must be ready and willing to change in order to meet them where they are and gift them the opportunity to find their own answers. Ultimately, isn’t that what we all want?