Canterbury Shaker Village facts for kids

Canterbury Shaker Village
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Shaker Village c. 1920
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Nearest city	288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, New Hampshire
Built	1792
NRHP reference No.	75000129
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 17, 1975
Designated NHLD	April 19, 1993

Canterbury Shaker Village is a special historic place and museum in Canterbury, New Hampshire, United States. It was once a lively community of Shakers, a unique religious group. They built this village starting in the late 1700s.

Today, it is one of the best-preserved Shaker villages. Because of its importance, it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1993. This means it's a place recognized for its historical value to the whole country.

A non-profit group has run the village since 1969. They work to protect the history of the Canterbury Shakers. The village has 25 original Shaker buildings and four new ones. It also includes about 694 acres (2.8 km2) of land. This land has forests, fields, gardens, and ponds. The village helps visitors learn about the Shakers' way of life. You can discover their beliefs, values, and what they left behind. Staff and volunteers offer tours and exhibits. There's even a restaurant that serves traditional Shaker meals.

History of Canterbury Shaker Village

How the Village Started and Grew

The Canterbury Shaker Village was part of a larger Shaker area. This area was called the New Hampshire Bishopric. It included Canterbury and another Shaker village in Enfield. A bishopric helped organize different Shaker communities. It also acted as a main office for the Shaker group.

In 1782, two Shakers visited Canterbury. They were from the Mount Lebanon village. They convinced some local families to join their faith. These families, like the Whitchers and Wiggins, later gave land. This land became the home for the Canterbury Village community.

The Canterbury Village was officially started in 1792. Father Job Bishop led the new community. It grew quickly over time. By 1803, there were 159 members living in three different groups, called families. About 50 years later, in 1850, the village had grown even more. It covered 3,000 acres (12 km2) and had 300 members. They lived in about 100 buildings.

Shakers and New Inventions

Even though Shakers lived a simple life, they used new inventions. They adopted many modern technologies. These included new ways to travel and communicate. They also used new machines and power sources. This showed that Shakers were open to progress.

For example, in 1901, the New England Telephone Company put telephones in the village. This was a big change. It meant Shakers could talk to other communities easily. They no longer had to travel long distances.

The Canterbury Village even built its own powerhouse in 1910. It cost $8,000, which was a lot of money back then. This powerhouse made electricity. At first, it powered electric lights in 16 buildings. Later, in the 1950s, friends of the community gave them a television.

The Shakers also created their own inventions. These inventions helped them with their work. For example, the Canterbury Shakers invented a special washing machine. It was so good that it won a gold medal. This happened at the Centennial Exposition in 1876.

Music was also very important to the Shakers at Canterbury. They wrote many spiritual songs. One famous hymn is "Celestial Praises" from 1841. Another is "We Will All Go Home with You" from 1862. Between 1842 and 1908, the Canterbury Shakers published eleven different songbooks.

Why the Community Became Smaller

Over time, the number of Shakers at Canterbury began to decrease. In 1905, there were 100 members. By 1916, this number had dropped to just 49. Most of these were women. There were also 12 young females under 21.

The last male Shaker at Canterbury Village was Brother Irving Greenwood. He passed away in 1939.

In 1947, a reporter visited the village. At that time, only 16 Shaker sisters remained. Their ages ranged from 43 to 80.

In 1957, the Shaker leaders made a big decision. They voted to close the Shaker Covenant. This was a special document that new members had to sign. By closing it, no new members could join the Shakers. In 1988, Eldress Bertha Lindsay explained this. She said the official covenant was locked away. This meant membership was closed forever.

By the 1980s, Canterbury Shaker Village started welcoming visitors. It became a historic site. People could take tours and visit a gift shop. In 1992, about 60,000 people visited the village. They came from all over the world.

The last Shakers at Canterbury Village passed away in the early 1990s. Eldress Gertrude Soule died in 1988. This left only two Shakers: Eldress Bertha Lindsay and Sister Ethel Hudson. Eldress Bertha Lindsay, the last Shaker eldress, died in 1990. Sister Ethel Hudson was the very last Shaker at Canterbury. She passed away in September 1992 at age 96.

How the Shakers Were Organized

The Shakers had a clear system for how their communities worked. It had four main levels.

The first level was the family. Every Shaker member belonged to a family. This was the basic unit of their community life.

Above the families were the elders and eldresses. There were also deacons and deaconesses. These members helped guide and manage the families.

The third level was the ministry. This group usually had two men and two women. They were in charge of individual Shaker communities, like Canterbury.

Finally, the highest level was the bishopric. This group oversaw several local communities. It helped keep all the Shaker villages in an area connected.

Buildings to See

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  Trustees office

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  Horse barn

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  Infirmary

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  Meetinghouse

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  Schoolhouse