Canterbury Shaker Village

"Shaker Culture and Practice"

Canterbury Shaker Village is a non-profit educational organization that is a listed National Historic Landmark. The village is not a recreated museum- it is the actual Shaker Village that was founded in 1792.

We visited on a hot summer day and expected to see examples of Shaker ingenuity. Instead we learned a lesson on Shaker lifestyles, culture and religious practices. All of these were unexpected and very intriguing, especially for my 6 year old daughter who loves to learn about history. Our 9 year old twins enjoyed the tour as well.

We started our visit hungry so we ate a quick lunch at the Farm Stand where we were able to buy homemade soup sandwiches, yogurts and drinks. There is also a more formal Shaker inspired restaurant named Greenwoods which is open from May 14 through October 31st. After lunch we began our children’s family tour with a very informative docent named Becky. We learned that the Shakers did not originally call themselves Shakers but a long name invoking all of their principles. The Shaker name was given to them by non-parishioners because they moved and shook while worshipping. The name took and eventually they began to call themselves the Shakers.

Becky was great at explaining the practice of the Shaker religion with equality of the sexes and races, common ownership, pacifism and celibacy. Some of these were hard concepts for the children to grasp but Becky did a good job explaining it to the kids with participatory activities like singing, dancing, separating boys from girls to walk through doors and showing us all of the places the villagers worked such as the barns and wash rooms. Out of their tenets and practices came the simple beautiful furniture and inventions we are familiar with, yet it is their culture which begat all of those goods.

Learning about their culture was easy as we toured the buildings where the Shaker people worked and lived. They kept adding buildings to their quarters as their ranks grew only by way of conversion. By the mid 1850’s the village was at its peak census and more than 300 people worked and lived there. Throughout the village we visited a schoolhouse, an infirmary, a clothes washing room, a printer and many other buildings. The kids enjoyed seeing the buildings, interacting with the recreation staff and looking at pictures of the people and children that lived at the villages. They were even able to create a scarf with their initials on it as the Shakers did, as clothing was their only true individual possession. The kids were able to see brooms made from corn tassels, bags printed for use in the gift shoppe and oval boxes being made. When asked they said they loved learning about the village but definitely enjoyed the tour that Becky gave them as she made it come alive. If you go I would recommend taking the family tour and then exploring on your own.

The last Shaker practitioner from this village died in the mid-1990’s and the property had already been turned over to the non-profit for the continuation of education. Unfortunately with the advent of industrialization the Shakers had a more difficult time converting people to live on the farms and the Shaker villages went dark. However, this village is a great teaching area for children as it is hands on and very interesting for both children and adults.

The admission rate is  $17.00 per adult and $8.00 for children ages 6 to 17. Children under 5 are free and there is also a family rate that includes 2 adults and 2 or more children for $42.00.All tickets are honored for 2 days. Pets are prohibited and smoking, food, and cell phones not allowed. Additionally photography is forbidden in the buildings. The museum shoppe has many Shake- inspired gifts and sundries including quilts, oval boxes and lavender toiletries. There is also a Ken Burns directed orientation video at the visitor’s center.

I would recommend visiting the village on a cool spring day as you spend some time outdoors and walking around. I would also recommend allowing more than 3 hours if your kids have the stamina or are old enough to last.

This review is based on a complimentary visit and tour at the Canterbury Shaker Village. I received no other compensation besides this admission and tour and the Village did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.