inn Archives - Village@work

From Office Space to Quiet Comfort

July 31, 2023Billy Rankin

Billy Rankin, Vice President of Public Programming and Marketing

Personnel Only

One goal of the Long-Range Planning process at Shaker Village is to open up more Shaker structures for public access. The 34 historic structures on our 3,000-acre property are the “crown jewels” of our organization’s collection of Shaker material artifacts. Opening these buildings to the public allows a broader understanding of Shaker architecture, community building, leadership hierarchy, utilitarianism and other key facets of life at Pleasant Hill.

The primary challenge to universal access is that daily operations require offices for staff, storage for supplies and other “behind the scenes” infrastructure to allow our businesses and programs to run effectively.

From previous articles in this series you will note that additional offices, storage and infrastructure needs are addressed in major and minor ways within a number of our other projects, showing the important interconnectivity among all the projects of the Long-Range Plan.

As the “dominoes” fall in sequence, the 1821 Ministry’s Workshop is a building that will step forward into the public spotlight once again.

Brief History of the Ministry’s Workshop

In October of 1820, the Pleasant Hill Shakers opened their new Meeting House. This large structure, built to house the Shaker’s Sunday worship, is located in what was then becoming the center of the Pleasant Hill community. Across the road from this house of worship is where construction on the 1824 Centre Family Dwelling would begin four years later, but, prior to that, a new Ministry’s Workshop was
the priority.

The “Ministry” of a Shaker community was often comprised of two Elders and two Eldresses who were tasked with overseeing the spiritual development of the Shakers in their society. The apartments for Ministry members were located on the second floor of the Meeting House, and it was typical in Shaker communities to build the offices for the Ministry very near the Meeting House. The 1821 Ministry’s Workshop is approximately 50 feet east of the 1820 Meeting House.

During its use by the Shakers, the 1821 Ministry’s Workshop served as offices and, later in the 19th century, as retiring rooms (bedrooms). By the end of the 19th century the building, like others in the Village, was sold and used as a private home.

Upon purchase and restoration by our nonprofit organization in the 1960s, the 1821 Ministry’s Workshop has been continuously adapted to fit the needs of the Village. At times serving as the front desk for the hotel, overnight guest rooms and a showroom for Shaker reproduction furniture (below, left), the building currently contains staff offices for the Farm, Preserve and Program teams at Shaker Village (below, right).

We Make You Kindly Welcome

Currently, the Inn at Shaker Village comprises 72 overnight guest rooms in 13 historic, Shaker buildings. Room types vary, from standard hotel rooms, to family suites, to private cottages. Of these, suites and cottages are the most sought after by guests, and our intention for the 1821 Ministry’s Workshop is to convert it to overnight lodging within one of these two categories. While further architectural investigation will be required, the hope of our Long-Range Planning Committee is that this structure, so conveniently located near The Trustees’ Table restaurant and parking, can be converted to a private cottage.

In many ways this intended use seems appropriate, including the parallel to the “Old” 1813 Ministry’s Shop, which also serves as a private, overnight cottage (right). This conversion will relieve a number of pressures from this irreplaceable historic building, and allow it to once again share a piece of the Shaker experience with guests.

Follow Our Progress

Expect to hear more about the progress of our Long-Range Plan projects 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, or if you would like to support our efforts, please reach out to our Vice President of Public Programming & Marketing, Billy Rankin at [email protected] or 859.734.1574.

This is the tenth article in an ongoing series outlining long-range planning at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. New to the series? You can visit our previous articles here:

Preserving the Past, Planning for the Future – An overview of Shaker Village’s long-range planning process
Pieces of a Puzzle – An introduction to the list of projects included in the long-range plan
Landing in the Right Place – A new vision for Shaker Landing
The Power of Play – The addition of a children’s playscape
A House of Dignity and Charm – Expanding the impact of the 1839 Trustees’ Office
A Lot to Live Up To – Developing the 1850 West Lot Wash House into an overnight suite
The Natural Element – Planning the addition of a nature center
True North – New life for the 1826 North Lot Dwelling
The Believers – Installation of a new, permanent exhibition in the 1820 Meeting House

Cooking is an Art

May 15, 2020Billy Rankin

Jacob Glover, PhD., Program Manager

“Indeed, cooking is an art just as much as painting a picture or making a piece of furniture.” – Shaker Eldress Bertha Lindsay, Canterbury, NH. August 1990.

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is known today for many wonderful things. From farm animals to hiking trails, guided tours to family-friendly festivals, and Shaker music presentations to bobwhite quail, if you ask ten different people you might get ten different answers of what draws visitors to our property. One item in particular, however, tends to be on everyone’s mind: the food at the Trustees’ Table!

*Guests to Shaker Village today are treated with seed-to-table fare in the historic 1839 Trustees’ Office.*

Given the Shaker’s penchant for hospitality, it is no wonder that food has been on the minds of visitors, both invited and uninvited, for over two centuries.

Isaac Newton Youngs and Rufus Bishop, two Shakers visiting from New York in 1834, were offered watermelon so many times during their time at Pleasant Hill that it almost became a running joke in their travel account. All told, they mentioned eating watermelon at least 15 times during their visit—sometimes to the point of indulgence: “Today we have had to attend 3 or 4 times to eating watermelons, and these being pretty good hinders us a good deal.”

*The dining room of the Centre Family Dwelling set as it would have been in the late 19th century. The postcard beckons readers to “note the quaint furniture.”*

A few decades later, thousands of Confederate troops camped-out on the grounds of Pleasant Hill as they traversed central Kentucky in the build-up to the Battle of Perryville in October 1862. The Shakers were moved to pity by the ragged, hungry men, and they gave generously to feed the soldiers. “We nearly emptied our kitchens of their contents and they tore the loaves and pies into fragments and devoured them so eagerly as it they were starving….And then when our stores were exhausted, we were obliged to drive them from our doors while they were begging for food. Heart rending scene!”

In the 1870s, the completion of High Bridge over the Kentucky River brought many tourists to the area near Pleasant Hill. The Shakers offered many of these guests room and board and food service to supplement their declining income in other industries: “Visitors above left early and had to cross the River in Skiffs and walk up to the Towers. Their bill here for entertainment and passage back and forth repeatedly was 50 cents for meals, 40 cents for lodging, and 25 cents passage each way $12.30.”

*The “Grey Room” of the Shakertown Inn, early 20th century.*

By the late 1800s, some of the buildings at Pleasant Hill had been sold to outsiders who opened hotel and dining establishments. The East Family Dwelling had become the Shakertown Inn by 1897, and the Trustees’ Office had become the Shaker Mary Guest House by the early 1920s.

As the years passed, the Trustees’ Office changed hands several more times until it came to be owned by the Renfrew family in the 1950s. Dick DeCamp, a native of Lexington, recalled the restaurant fondly many years later. “The place had a lot of character. It was like something out of a Faulkner novel, going there for dinner. They just had some tables around and the old shades were on the windows….They just had a few things – a special eggplant casserole and fried chicken and old ham.” According to Decamp, guests would sit out on the front steps and “kill a bottle of whiskey” before the food was finally ready. Then, someone would wind up the Victrola and everyone would get to dancing!

*The 1839 Trustees’ Office as the “Shaker Village Guest House.”*

Today at Shaker Village we continue this legacy of hospitable service and locally-sourced meals through the Trustees’ Table. The seed-to-table experience at the Trustees’ Table utilizes the best meat and produce from the Shaker Village Farm and other local farms to create our intriguing and delicious seasonal menus. Visit our website to discover all the inspired menu items, beyond our famous lemon pie!

Kindly Welcome

May 5, 2020Billy Rankin

Maggie McAdams, Assistant Program Manager

“… We observed one very pleasant feature… conspicuous above many other excellencies, nearly every person in speaking makes the visitor kindly welcome to Pleasant Hill.” -Henry Blinn, “A Journey to Kentucky in the Year 1873”

Pleasant Hill has been welcoming visitors and guests to its grounds for over 200 years. Although established as a community intentionally separated from the outside world, it was never possible for the Shakers to completely isolate themselves. In addition to conducting business with outsiders, many Shakers from other communities also visited. These Shakers were among the first “guests” welcomed to Pleasant Hill.

*The 1817 East Family Dwelling, pictured in a postcard as the Shakertown Inn and again as it appears today.*

Two Shakers visiting from New York, Isaac Newton Youngs and Rufus Bishop, provided an enlightening description of their welcome in 1834. According to the men, “Soon after we arrived at Lexington, we found Elder George Runyon and Rufus Bryant there from Pleasant Hill very glad to meet us, they pay great attention to us and do everything they can to make us comfortable.”

Nearly four decades later, Henry Blinn, visiting from New England, reported a similar feeling of warm hospitality. “Br Elhannen came to pay us a visit. He said that Elder James was always anxious that visitors should be properly attended to…Thus far the introduction into a southern society had proved itself to be one of gospel love & affection, and we retired to rest with a grateful heart.”

*Nannie Embry, outside of the 1817 East Family Dwelling when it was the Shakertown Inn. September, 1922.*

Financial difficulties in the late-1800s forced Pleasant Hill to sell land and buildings, and by 1897 the East Family Dwelling had been sold and converted into the Shaker Hotel that was operated by Sister Jane Sutton. Eventually, this building would become the Shakertown Inn, run by Nannie Embry. Embry was enamored of the history of the Shakers and drew upon the community as inspiration for her business model: “And as for the tradition of hospitality, the very building we occupy was for many years a Shaker boarding house where weary city folk came for rest.“

The Shakertown Inn would eventually close in 1940, as would another hotel operation that had been begun in the Trustees’ Office a few decades earlier, the Shaker Mary Guest House.

*The “Bridal Chamber” of the Shakertown Inn was furnished quite differently then the current “Shaker inspired” rooms of The Inn at Shaker Village.*

Overnight lodging returned to Pleasant Hill with the establishment of the non-profit organization that still operates The Inn today. Just as Shaker legacies continued to inspire the various hotel proprietors during the years after the Shakers, today at The Inn at Shaker Village we remain influenced by Shaker style and history.

The Inn at Shaker Village has 72 guest rooms spread out over 13 historic Shaker buildings. The rooms have been updated with modern amenities, but they retain their Shaker simplicity. From accommodations in buildings such as the East and West Family Dwellings that are akin to a hotel, to cottages that can be booked in their entirety, staying overnight at The Inn is a special way to experience the history of hospitality at Pleasant Hill that we continue to this day.

Visit our website to book your stay and enjoy this slice of Kentucky and American history! As Nannie Embry quipped in the 1920s, “the charm of the place is a practical peace.”

5 Things You Don’t Know About The Inn

January 31, 2017shakerblog

GLINTstudios_2015_ShakerVillage_00011

Shaker Village has been a warm beacon of hospitality for more than 200 years. The Shakers used to host travelers in the Village long before 1841, when The Trustees’ Office was built. The Trustees’ Office signaled open arms to guests with its one front door, instead of the well-known double Shaker entrance. It was a greeting place; the heart of the Village to outsiders, business partners, friends and family members of the Shaker community. Boarders, as they were called, were welcome to stay, dine and visit with the Shakers, as long as they followed their rules during their stay. Today, while we don’t insist that you follow a list of Shaker rules, we do insist that you sit back, relax and enjoy your time at Shaker Village!

The Trustees’ Office, circa 1842

Named as a top hidden travel destination by BBC News, The Inn is much more than a traditional hotel. Guest rooms, suites and private cottages—each offering distinct character—are located in 13 restored Shaker buildings. Rooms are comfortably appointed with Shaker reproduction furniture, original hardwood floors and spectacular countryside views.

Old Stone Shop 174.2

1. Each room is unique! Request your favorite room, or be ready for a different adventure each time you visit. Find a handwritten poem on the windowsill of room 174. Look for letters from past visiting guests in a floorboard under the bed of room 207 (and write your own letter to add to it). Enjoy a perfect view of The Preserve from room 160. See original pieces of the building on the second floor of East Family Dwelling. Open the tiny door in room 505 and ponder what it’s for. Watch the sunrise from your window in room 563. The list goes on and on. These buildings have real history, and each room tells a different story.

2. We’re sustainable! In true Shaker form, we try to be as sustainable as possible and use our resources to the best of their ability. From LED lightbulbs and green toiletry and cleaning products to our newest venture with waterless urinals, we strive to make differences that will impact the entire village for the better.Tens of thousands of guests visit the Village each year and are served by approximately 140 employees. Despite serving an increasing number of guests through meals, programs and events, staff have managed to decrease solid waste. This accomplishment took a coordinated effort across departments, and the recycling program continues to be improved and expanded. More than 432 cubic yards of plastic, glass, aluminum and cardboard will be recycled by the end of the year. This volume of trash would fill 12 average-sized bedrooms from floor to ceiling and represents a savings of approximately $2,300 in trash service fees. We will continue to find ways to be more sustainable in The Inn and all areas of the Village this year and every year to pass on the legacies of the Shakers and to preserve this site for future generations.

3. We have pet-friendly rooms! No need to leave your fur baby at home when you plan your getaway to Shaker Village. Explore the grounds with your dog (on a leash, please) and then check out our pet-friendly hiking trails, as well as overnight rooms.

4. You get complimentary admission to the Village! Every day is filled with self-guided and staff-led tours, talks, exhibitions, hands-on activities and more throughout The Historic Centre, The Farm and The Preserve. Scheduled experiences change daily based on the seasons and VILLAGE@WORK projects. Enjoy outdoor fire pits or go stargazing. Hop on one of our bikes and take a ride. Go hiking or birdwatching. Enjoy the view from our tree swings and so much more. Visit our events calendar to see what else is happening around here.

5. By staying here, you contribute to making great things happen at Shaker Village. Your online and onsite purchases generate revenue to keep this site going. All operating proceeds benefit Shaker Village’s mission and are used to develop new programs and events, compensate employees, buy new linens, feed the farm animals, maintain the trails, keep the lights on and much more! Visit our website to learn more about how you can support Shaker Village.

Trustees' Office 303.1 Bath Trustees Office 305

This Kentucky destination allows you to be as active or as restful as your heart desires. Come ready for a new adventure or a peaceful retreat. Whether you’re planning a family vacation, weekend getaway, business meeting, destination wedding or other special occasion, The Inn provides the perfect stage for your most memorable occasions. Start planning your getaway now!

Check out these promotions currently going on at The Inn:
Bee My Valentine Package
Cozy Winter Nights at The Inn

Anthony Cardano is the inn manager and joined Shaker Village after cutting his teeth in the corporate hotel world…