Located in Kentucky's Bluegrass Region, The Shaker Village
of Pleasant Hill is the largest historic community of its kind
in America. Visitors to this National Historic Landmark enjoy
a wide variety of activities including self-guided tours,
riverboat excursions and special events. The village also
offers two craft stores, meeting facilities, as well as fine
dining and overnight lodging accommodations in restored
19th-century buildings.
The Shakers, otherwise known as The United Society of
Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, were a communal
society who, at their peak in numbers in the mid-1800's,
originally came to central Kentucky in 1805. Settling on a
high plateau above the Kentucky River near Harrodsburg, they
established a village named Pleasant Hill, devoted to a
peaceful way of life which was reflected in their celibacy,
belief in equality of race and sex, and freedom from
prejudice. By 1910, only a few Shakers survived and the
village was closed, existing as a small farm community for the
next fifty years until a nonprofit group emerged to preserve
its heritage. Since that time, 33 original buildings have been
restored and 2,800 acres of farmland preserved. A National
Historic Landmark from boundary to boundary, it is the only
site of its kind where all visitor services are provided in
original buildings.
Visitors to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill enjoy a wide
variety of activities including the many special events,
workshops, and educational programs that occur throughout the
year to entertain and enlighten. It is an ideal setting for
retreats, seminars, and other conferences at its various
meeting sites which you can find out about through the meeting
services staff. Two highlights while staying in Pleasant Hill
include taking a self-guided tour of fifteen buildings while
talking with costumed interpreters along the way and taking a
riverboat cruise. During the tour, view the forty-room Centre
Family Dwelling with its collection of original Shaker
furniture, hear the haunting strains of Shaker music in the
1820 Meeting House, or learn about Shaker religion and family
life at the Shaker Life Exhibit. It is fascinating to watch
the work of broom makers, coopers, spinners and weavers before
exploring the gardens and farm life or hiking the restored
1837 Turnpike or 1826 Shaker Landing Road to the Kentucky
River. The riverboat excursion is a trip back in time as you
climb aboard the sternwheeler Dixie Belle. You will marvel at
the river's high limestone cliffs and untouched natural
surroundings as you go under High Bridge, an engineering
wonder when it was built in 1877.
The Shaker Village of Pleasant
Hill is operated by Shakertown at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky,
Inc., a nonprofit, 501 (c) (3) educational corporation.
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Enjoy a historic ambience and spend the night in rooms where
the Shakers once worked and lived. Throughout the village, 81
guest rooms are furnished with Shaker-inspired reproductions
and handwoven rugs and curtains as well as air conditioning,
private bath and television.
It's not often one finds an accommodation that serves three
meals a day! That's just what you get at Shaker Village, where
you'll dine on hearty Kentucky foods and Shaker recipes at the
Trustees' Office Inn, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are
served daily. The menu includes a large country breakfast,
changing selections for mid-day lunch, and a variety of
choices of meats, salads, relishes, vegetables, and breads
fresh from the oven for dinner. After dinner, sample the
homebaked pies, cakes and tarts, or a special dessert from the
bakery. During the summer, a lighter midday fare is also
served at the Summer Kitchen.
Whether it is a special Shaker music program, workshop,
nature hike, craft fair, or the traditional harvest festival,
the village is always full of life and good cheer and no
matter how many times you visit Shaker Village of Pleasant
Hill there is always something new and different to see.
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