Do you like historic homes, woodland trails, traditional gardens, handmade furniture, and charismatic religious cults? Canterbury Shaker Village is the destination for you. This secluded town located in Canterbury, NH was founded in 1792 by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, also known as the Shakers and became one of the most successful communitarian centers in the 19th and early 20th century. Now a National Historic Landmark, the Village is open for visiting from dawn to dusk and provides a unique look into a nearly vanished culture.
Here is a quick primer on the Shakers for those unfamiliar with the sect, which was explained throughout the museum experience. Mother Ann Lee, an English woman claiming to be the incarnation of Jesus Christ, established the Shakers. The religious beliefs of her followers evolved over several distinct periods, including the founding of the sect in the mid- to late-18th century, a revival period in the mid 19th century, and the decline of the religion from after World War II to the present day. Shakers believed in gender equality, taking a “separate but equal” approach to their villages, with men and women living in separate dormitories, eating separate meals, and working separate jobs. Shakers believed in racial equality, as people of any background were welcomed in their communities, and Shaker villages served as stops on the Underground Railroad. Finally, Shakers were inventors, but individuals rarely took personal credit for their achievements. Their inventions included an improvement on the circular saw, seed packets, round barns, and a distinct style of furniture.
A visit to Canterbury Shaker Village can be divided into four sections:
The ground floor of this building hosted the front desk, gift shop, and introductory film, while the top floor held furniture built by the Shakers. The film Holy Ground was created by SALT, which described itself as “an Emmy Award winning, not-for-profit production company dedicated to the craft of visual storytelling”, with a grant from New Hampshire Humanities. It combined music, old photographs, narration, animation, and modern video to tell the stories of the Shakers and Canterbury. While I would have preferred a slightly longer explanation of the Shakers’ beliefs and history, the artistry of the video was of the highest quality.
The upstairs furniture collection, though small, contained remarkable pieces and stories. My favorite is the desk built by Elder Amos Stewart at Mount Lebanon Village in New York, now the home of the Shaker Museum. After Stewart lost his left hand in a woodshop accident in 1865 at age 68, he created this new desk by himself with one hand in 1877. While the Shakers’ contributions to disability awareness is not as recognized as their ideas of gender and racial equality, this is a noteworthy example of their support for people with physical limitations.
Visitors could pick up a map of the grounds at the front desk in the Visitors Center or in the kiosk outside. Self-guided tours were free, but donations were appreciated. The buildings were clearly labeled with additional information available on the map. An audio tour is not available at this time. Buildings at Canterbury Shaker Village include a creamery where the Shakers produced their own dairy products, a Brethren’s Shop where the male members of the village built furniture and tools by hand, a Ministry Shop for practicing evangelism, a Chapel for worship, a Syrup Shop to make sweet treats, a Firehouse and Power House to fight fires and generate electricity for the village, a Laundry for cleaning clothes, several dormitories, and other buildings for work and storage.
During my visit, the Shaker gardens were being restored through University of New Hampshire’s Master Gardener Volunteers. Past the village was “Turning Mill Pond Trail”. A standard information sign containing a map of this trail was located near its entrance, and a paper copy of the map can be picked up at the front desk. The trail may be the least traveled section of the Village. While the paths in the village were highly accessible, the trail had uneven terrain and a steep hill to return to the Village. The views from across the pond and down the hill from the buildings were spectacular, especially on a sunny day. Seasonal wildflowers such as goldenrod bloom near the trail, creating beautiful photo opportunities but triggering allergies.
Canterbury Shaker Village offered a variety of guided tours hosted by knowledgeable docents. I took “Shaker Stories: History & Legacy”, which cost $25 for older adults, while visitors age 25 and under were free, a pricing approach unique to the museum. Tours meet in front of the Visitors Center and last about an hour. Buildings include the Meeting House (1792), Laundry (1816), Dwelling House (1793), and Schoolhouse (1823/1863). During the tour, the guide told stories about the Shakers’ lives at Canterbury while sharing photographs.
The lower floor of the Dwelling House contained the kitchen and dining area. One side of the room was set up to show an early to mid 19th century dining table, with low chairs and plain dishes. The other side of the room showed an early 20th century dining room, with higher chairs and fancier dishes. In the chapel on the upper floor of the Dwelling House were many instruments, including an 1887 Hook & Hastings Organ purchased by the Shakers in 1929.
In the Laundry building, Shaker women took shifts cleaning the clothes, a great job in the winter and a miserable job in the summer. The Shakers made good use of early industrial washing machines, spin dryers, wringers, and drying rooms. They dedicated an entire room to darning and ironing, and another room to weaving on early industrial looms. While the Shaker women employed many of the skills familiar to other 19th century women used at home or in a textile factory, the Shakers were in control of their own work.
Because of their plainclothes and religious beliefs, Shakers were sometimes confused with Anabaptist Christians: Amish, Mennonites, Brethren, and Hutterites. In contrast to these groups, who are stereotyped as eschewing modern life, the Shakers embraced education and technology. They provided education to all adopted children through eighth grade, which was the standard at the time. They updated the school to accommodate their students, raising up the original school to become the second floor of a new building in 1863. Besides encouraging lifelong learning, they were early adopters of new technology, including the sewing machine, washing machine, power loom, vacuum, electricity, tractors, and automobiles.
On display at the education center during my visit was the solo art exhibit Wilderness: Light Sizzles Around Me by Lesley Dill. Combining oversized outfits with avant-garde calligraphy and informative signage, Dill described the lives of Americans both historical and fiction who impacted the enduring ideologies of the United States. More simply put, she used oversized clothes painted with words to illustrate the lives of important people. Visitors could watch a fairly long, academic introductory video explaining the artist’s intention behind the exhibit. The giant dress and ink designs are fun and eye-catching, providing great photo opportunities for family photos.
Canterbury Shaker Village is a fun and educational day away for a wide range of ages and interests, including families and school groups, historians and theologians, and outdoors enthusiasts. The small herd of calves near the parking lot of the Village is an added bonus for animal lovers. If you plan on visiting, check ahead to make sure the tour you want to take is offered on the day you arrive, and keep an eye out for different events that happen at the Village throughout the season.
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Abigail Epplett leads a dual life as a freelance digital marketing consultant for small humanities-focused organizations and as a customer experience design creative specialist at lab equipment manufacturer Waters Corporation. She holds an MA in Museum Education from Tufts University, where she researched the history of New England from Plymouth to the Civil War. To learn more about her adventures with museums, visit her current blog at abbyeppletthistorian.blogspot.com.