Book description
Mother Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers, articulated a vision of a
community that embraced sacrifice over the needs of the individual;
the result was one of the most successful utopian experiments of
nineteenth-century America. The Shakers, an idealistic offshoot of the
ascetic Quaker religion, grew to as many as six thousand members in
nineteen communities reaching from New England to the Midwest. Lee's
experiment, focused mainly on simplicity, celibate communal living,
and sexual equality, provided a model of prosperity for more than one
hundred years. Founded in 1806, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill,
Kentucky, was a thriving community located in the center of the
bluegrass region. After the Civil War, a steadily shrinking membership
resulted in the gradual decline of this remarkable community, and the
last remaining Shaker to reside at Pleasant Hill died in 1923. In the
years immediately following, it appeared as though the village would
fall prey to neglect and a lack of historic preservation. In 1961,
however, local citizens formed a private not-for-profit organization
to preserve and restore the village and to interpret the rich heritage
of the Pleasant Hill Shakers for future generations. Over several
years, and against incredible odds, this group succeeded in raising
the funds necessary for the restoration projects. By 1968, eight
buildings at Shakertown, carefully adapted for modern use while
retaining their historical and architectural significance, had been
opened to the public. Thomas Parrish's Restoring Shakertown
masterfully explains how the Shaker settlement was saved from the
ravages of time and transformed into a nationally renowned landmark of
historic preservation. In chronicling how the hopes of the early
fund-raisers quickly were challenged by the harsh reality of economic
hardships, the book serves as a valuable study in modern philanthropy.
Parrish also details the village's negotiation of legal challenges and
how its final plans for creating awareness of the Shakers' legacy set
the standard for later museum developments around the country. In
addition to recounting the remarkable history of the formation and
eventual demise of the "Shaking Quakers," Parrish presents a
dramatic chronicle of the village's evolving fortunes. From describing
the challenges of financing the restoration to finding preservation
experts to achieve the highest standards of authenticity, Restoring
Shakertown reveals the complexities and rewards of the preservation of
one of Kentucky's most significant historical and architectural sites.
"Serves not only as a faithful retelling of Shakertown's
rescue, but also as a celebration of Shaker values and aesthetics....
It is a sweet reminder of Shakertown's lasting appeal and a thank-you
letter of sorts to those who rescued Kentucky's Shaker past from
obscurity and decline." -- Lexington Herald-Leader
