Proud members of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. We strongly believe in personal freedom, responsibility, and gun rights. We also believe in the 90/10 theory. That means that 10% of the people have 90% of the talent. Unfortunately, we are not in the 10% category. However, the rest of us are still better than 90% of the politicians.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Shaker Village Museum

 While gadding about earlier this month I was distracted by a sign on the interstate that led me to a Shaker Village Museum.   Due to said distraction, I'm not exactly sure where it is, but if you're interested just go north on the interstate from Nashville toward Louisville.  There'll be a sign with further directions.  (It's south of, but in the same neighborhood as Bowling Green, because that's where I was about to get back on the interstate when I was distracted by the National Corvette Museum sign.)


 I really didn't know much about the Shakers other than that they built furniture.  While at the Museum I learned that they were an abstinent religion.  Which seems rather limiting to me, but what do I know?  Anyway, the Colony was run by a group of Elders who lived in the building pictured above.  Actually they were rather more than abstinent, as they didn't permit any congress between the men and the women.  The female Elders lived on the second floor and entered the building from the front, while the men lived on the ground floor and entered from the back.





 This large building is a dormitory where many of the rest of the colony lived.  As you can see, there is a double door with separate stairs and walkways for the men and women.  Inside the men lived on the right and the women on the left and they reached the second and third floors via separate stairways inside.


 Most of the bedrooms were furnished as in the above two pictures. 


They shared a dining hall as well, again at separate tables.  With very strict rules of behavior.




At its strongest the colony consisted of 350 members who together managed 6,000 acres. It is said that they lived very well for the times until disrupted by the Civil War.  Like many others the colony never really recovered and in 1922 the survivors sold the land and walked away.  According to the docent there is one remaining sect, 6 strong, in Maine.

2 comments:

  1. Interesting! I did some research on Shakers when I was in grad school. I also had the opportunity to interview Deborah Woodworth recently about her books (the Sister Callahan mysteries). http://tinyurl.com/78qenuo

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  2. Cool! But now I'm going to have to read those books.

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