Long Range Plan

Sticking the Landing

Billy Rankin

Billy Rankin, Vice President of Public Programming and Marketing

Back in May, we introduced you to our plans for Shaker Landing. Much has been accomplished on this project since then, and we’re delighted to share this visual progress report. We must also express our gratitude to the Chair of the Shaker Village Board of Trustees, Ann Bakhaus, for her vision, leadership and energy in guiding these transformational efforts.

The 1861 Shaker River Road winds its way along the Kentucky River Palisades and past an overlook of High Bridge, ending at Shaker Landing.

An 1866 Timber Frame Stable greets visitors at the Landing. The only surviving Shaker structure remaining along the river, it was restored this year through the generosity of Lois Mateus and the Tallgrass Farm Foundation, in honor of her late husband, preservationist Tim Peters.

The Dixie Belle, the Village’s paddlewheel riverboat, was retired in 2022 after 40 years of service. Rather than sell or disassemble the boat, the Village elected to restore it and install it at Shaker Landing as a new venue for events. The riverboat will be mounted to four telephone poles, allowing it to float up and down in place when floodwaters rise. The surrounding deck adjoins the riverboat via hinged thresholds, creating a gap to protect the deck from damage from the boat, should it rise and fall with floodwater.

In the coming years the riverboat will play host to live music, dining events, cub scout campouts, school field trips and more. As a compliment to the Landing and Timber Frame Stable, the riverboat offers an exciting new venue for weddings and receptions at Shaker Village.

On October 29, Shaker Village staff, Trustees, donors and supporters gathered to celebrate the updates to Shaker Landing. This will be the first of many Village events on the Kentucky River, bringing energy back to the once vibrant port of the Pleasant Hill Shakers.

If you would like to learn more about hosting your upcoming event, campout or field trip at Shaker Landing, contact our Event Sales team today.

Follow Our Progress

Expect to hear more about the progress of our Long-Range Plan projects on social media, through our 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 fourteenth 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:

Gotta Have Faith

Billy Rankin

Billy Rankin, Vice President of Public Programming and Marketing

Excitement and Worry

Each time a new exhibit installation takes place in the Village, I’m filled with equal parts excitement and worry. This is especially true when the exhibit will be “permanent,” and is being installed in one of the most significant buildings at Pleasant Hill!

The built environment at Pleasant Hill is the physical embodiment of Shaker heritage in central Kentucky. Each building speaks to multiple aspects of Shaker life. The iconic architecture of these historic spaces has long inspired visitors to the Village. As historians and preservationists, our goal is to craft experiences that add depth to this inspiration by interpreting the story of the Pleasant Hill Shakers.

In July, we shared plans for The Believers. This new exhibition will explore the faith and theology of the Shakers, and is currently being installed on the second floor of the 1820 Meeting House.

Bringing Spirit to the Space

When we began planning The Believers, our team quickly realized the opportunity at hand.

Every visitor to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill comes with their own set of individual beliefs. They may be religious beliefs, but can also be embodied by a personal philosophy, or set of values. Although our interpretive staff do a wonderful job leading guided tours and conducting Shaker music programs in the Meeting House, many visitors to the building come outside those program times. For them, it is an empty space, and they must “fill in the blanks.”

The Pleasant Hill Shakers were renowned for the fervor of their worship, and the depth of their faith. They endeavored to live their lives without sin. They sought to create Heaven on Earth. This was the reason for their society, and their mission.

The goal of The Believers is to encourage our visitors to learn more about why the Shakers lived, not just how. By doing this, we hope that in some small way guests to Pleasant Hill consider their own purpose, and how their personal beliefs impact every decision they make, building their world around them.

Join Us

On Friday, September 22 at 6:00 p.m. Shaker Village will host the grand opening of The Believers. This is a free event, with online registration still available. Funding for the Believers and our grand opening has been provided by a generous contribution from the Eli Lilly Endowment.

Until then, I hope you enjoy these preview photos from our ongoing installation!

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 thirteenth 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:

The Trail West

Billy Rankin

Billy Rankin, Vice President of Public Programming and Marketing

Trailhead on the Move

When Shaker Village introduced the list of projects associated with its Long-Range Plan in May, it was noted that “no project stands alone.” Each individual project represents a piece of a larger puzzle, and in many cases the completion of one project is critical to the success of another.

This week we’re going to look at the ongoing effort to move the location of the West Trailhead, one of three trailheads used to access the Village’s 33-mile trail system. Work to relocate the trailhead began just last week, and would not have been possible without a grant through the Kentucky Colonel’s Good Works Program.

The new location for the West Trailhead will not only be more convenient for guests, but will also alleviate traffic near the 1850 West Lot Wash House, a critical step in our plans for that important structure.

A Popular Destination

The West Trailhead is the most popular point of access to Shaker Village’s multi-use trails. All horseback and carriage riders launch from this trailhead, due to its proximity to the Village’s stables, paddocks, and equine obstacle course. Hikers enjoy a variety of trails with access to acres of river cane, scenic prairie views, Shawnee Run Creek and the Fulling Mill Waterfall.


Currently, there is limited parking for hikers at the West Trailhead, which leads many guests to park in areas not intended for vehicles. This can harm animal habitat, damage landscaping and create hazards for the large horse trailers flowing to and from equestrian areas.

Luckily, we have a “built-in” solution!

Work in Progress

The image above shows the current site of the West Trailhead, with equestrian stables in the background. While horseback riders will still enter the Preserve on a variety of trails from the stables, the new location of the West Trailhead will provide much-needed parking and other future amenities for hikers.

The 1828 West Lot Dwelling sits along the West Lot Road, on the way to the current trailhead. The new location of the trailhead will take advantage of the 70 car parking lot just behind the Dwelling. The West Trailhead kiosk and map will be located near the northwest corner of this parking area.

Shaker Village’s Preserve Team is working on a new connector trail that will lead from the trailhead at the West Lot Parking Lot, toward the Chinquapin and Shawnee Run trails. Eventually, as additional funding is secured, restrooms will be built near this trailhead to serve hikers and event guests.

Our goal is to complete the new connector trail, update directional signs and launch the new West Trailhead in late September or early October. We will keep you posted, and look forward to seeing you when you hit the trail again at Shaker Village!

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 twelfth 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:

The Power of Play

Billy Rankin

Billy Rankin, Vice President of Public Programming and Marketing

This is the fourth 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:

Too Many People Grow Up

Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. – Walt Disney

Many people, myself included, first experienced Shaker Village as a child. My first visit came on a fourth grade field trip in the 1980s. Although my memories from that visit have surely faded a bit, if I close my eyes I can still feel what it was like on that first trip.

I remember the sun shining through the green leaves of so many trees. I remember running ahead of my group, as I often did, to try to be the first one to discover each new building we approached. I remember the smell of the farm, and of the wool that lay in a pile, freshly removed from a now undressed sheep. I remember the long, never-ending trip down to the river, for a riverboat ride. Everything seemed so large, so new, and so exciting.

Summer campers exploring Shawnee Run Creek at Shaker Village.

When I returned to Shaker Village in 2015, now as an adult joining the staff, the Village still seemed large, new and exciting. It was different though, as any place is when you haven’t visited since you were a child. Maybe not quite so large, or so new. There were also fewer children visiting Shaker Village on an annual basis then there had once been, which was a challenge that needed to be addressed.

A Place for Children

Why had the number of children visiting Shaker Village declined through the years? There are several, collective answers to that question. Classroom curriculum and priorities had been shifting through the decades, leading to an overall decline in student visitation to historic sites nationwide. The competition from phones, video games and multimedia of all kinds was certainly making an impact, as was the expanding variety of other options vying for the recreational time of families.

How could an historic site in Mercer County, Kentucky compete for the ever-shrinking attention span of today’s youth?

The answer was, and is, pretty simple, and it was hidden in our mission statement all along.

To inspire generations through discovery, by sharing the legacies of the Kentucky Shakers.

It’s all about discovery. Experiential learning. Getting dirty hands and sweaty foreheads. Exploring the architecture and landscape. Meeting animals. Hiking the trails. Making something of your own, rather than watching someone else (likely an adult) doing it for you.

With the basis of discovery, and experiential education, school programming was redesigned. Explorer Summer Camp was started. Family Fun Days, HarvestFest, Brunch with the Babies, Easter Egg Hunts and other events were born or revamped. Children are learning and having fun at high numbers once again at Shaker Village.

The Birth of the Playscape

As youth programs have grown at Shaker Village, our Leadership Team has recognized the need for more places on the property that are intentionally designed for the experience of children. We discussed playgrounds and park equipment, but that type of environment never felt like a good fit for our historic landscape. Fortunately, while visiting regional nature centers as part of our research, we came to Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, in Clermont, Kentucky. It was there that we were first introduced to the idea of a play landscape.

A play landscape is designed using natural materials: logs, branches, stones, earthen mounds, sand and water, built into an environment that encourages children to climb, build and explore. This concept was immediately striking to our team. Children that were raised by the Shakers at Pleasant Hill would have played in nature, with relatively primitive, natural materials. The use of natural elements in this playscape connects guests of all ages to the foundation of Pleasant Hill’s story, and blends much more seamlessly into the environment of this important cultural landmark.

The Benefits of Play in Nature

According to the Children at Play Network, some of the many benefits of playing in a natural setting include: a reduction in ADHD through improved concentration and focus, better physical coordination and balance, greater imagination and creativity, and improved cognitive development. Additional research has shown that play in nature buffers the impact of life’s stresses on children, helps them better deal with adversity and stimulates cooperation with others.

Armed with this information, and a supportive partnership from Bernheim Forest, our team helped to design a children’s playscape to be built along the south side of the historic vegetable gardens, alongside and behind the animal paddocks that run the length of those gardens.

Just Around the Corner

Through the generosity of two private donors, the Shaker Village Playscape is a fully-funded project. We expect work on the playscape to begin before the end of the summer this year, with the area fully operational in time for all of our spring events in 2024!

The next time you visit the Village and you see a child playing in the garden, the creek or the new playscape, take a moment to close your eyes and remember what true discovery feels like. It can inspire so much in us all. Maybe it will inspire you to get a little dirt under your fingernails, a little sweat on your brow, and to remember what a large, new and exciting world it can be!

Follow Our Progress

As projects 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, 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.