Synopsis
The Shakers at Pleasant Hill had a vital impact for more than six decades on the development of Kentucky. Settling in Central Kentucky in 1805 to establish a religious communal village, they brought a standard of excellence and innovativeness that reached far beyond their group. Since its inception in 1961 as a nonprofit, educational corporation, Shakertown at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, Inc., has striven to fulfill its charter responsibilities to preserve and maintain twenty-seven of the nineteenth century Shaker buildings extant, and to interpret the 1805-1910 history they depict. These structures range in size from a massive forty-room stone dwelling to a three-story brick office, an admirable example of "Shaker Georgian", to a small clapboard shop. Today, a variety of adaptative uses offers the visitor a range of experiences and services: exhibition tour, museum, river cruise, overnight accommodations, dining, and craft sales shop. This book's author, Dr. Thomas D. Clark, has been intimately associated with the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill restoration efforts from the beginning and has watched the progress with keen interest. He narrates the story of these fascinating people with knowledge, warmth, humor, and dramatic animation. Few outdoor history museums have been blessed with having a noted historian and writer of Dr. Clark's caliber on the scene to recount their history.
