Another Walk in the Park: Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

What was once the third largest Shaker Community in the US is just south of Lexington on Rt. 68 near Harrodsburg, KY. You probably know of Shaker style furniture characterized by utilitarian simplicity and excellent craftsmanship. We watched several volunteer craftsmen at work using period tools and techniques. The Shakers would be proud of them. It is a Shaker tenet that to work well is to pray well. This work ethic contributed greatly to their success as farmers as well as craftsmen. No shirking. No sloppy work--except for slopping the hogs. No slouching. Sit up straight. No talking with your mouth full or elbows on the table. (I'm not sure you can trust everything the Internet has to say about Shakers.)
The full title of the sect is the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. That mouthful was reduced to the Shaking Quakers because of their ecstatic behavior during services. Then it was reduced still further to just Shakers. Shakers are characterized by a celibate, austerely simple communal lifestyle and they were pioneers in equality of the sexes. Women were accorded leadership positions as early as 1747. Which is only fair, right, and proper given their theology: a belief in the duality of God who is conceived as both male and female.
Like their cousins the Quakers, the Shakers were pacifists. Though they tended to be Unionist in sympathy, Shakers did not take part in the Civil War. President Lincoln exempted them from service and they were thus among the first conscientious objectors. The earlier Quakers were also pacifist but, since there was no draft before the Civil War, they were never actually exempted until then.
You have probably not met many Shakers. The sect reached a maximum membership of 6,000 before virtually disappearing. That celibacy thing might have something to do with it. All Shakers were converts. Married couples with children were welcomed but after they joined they were expected to become celibate. The parents, that is. In the case of children it was just assumed from the beginning.
Which also explains their architecture. At Shaker Village, the houses look way bigger than you would expect for people who lived simple, frugal lives. But those "houses" are better described as dormitories in which single-gender occupancy was the rule. In some houses, though, women lived on one side and men on the other with separate entrances. On the ground floor was typically a large, open room for communal services, dining, and dancing. Yes, dancing. Shakers loved music and dancing. There is said to be more than 20,000 Shaker songs. Good news for shy young men: they didn't have to dance with the girls. And, of course, the girls didn't have to associate with young men who were so bashful they had become Shakers to avoid female contact.
Shirley and I stopped at Shaker Village on our way to Savannah for our anniversary. There is quite a cultural contrast but the concept is exactly the same--preserving our cultural heritage. You might want to see my post for Savannah just for comparison. They are equally attractive each in their own way. Still, I lean toward Savannah.

Note the simple, symmetrical architecture with women's door on the left and men's on the right. Or vice versa. I can never remember which.

Donna said she could sing 20,000 Shaker songs and invited us in for a vocal concert.

So she sang "Twen-ty thou-ou-san-and Sha-a-ker songs!" You probably know at least one Shaker song: "T'is a gift to be simple, t'is a gift to be free...."