Shaker Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Shaker Farm
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Opposite 1448 Dublin Rd., Richmond, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1795 |
| Architect | Hand, Daniel |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 95001198 |
| Added to NRHP | November 6, 1995 |
Shaker Farm is a special old farm in Richmond, Massachusetts. It's also known as the Edward Deming and Faith Andrews Homestead. This farm is famous because a book was written about it! The book, called The Fruits of the Shaker Tree of Life, tells the story of how the farm was fixed up.
The main house was built around 1795 by Daniel Hand. He was from New Lebanon, New York. The house shows off many examples of amazing Shaker craftsmanship. In 1937, Edward Deming Andrews and his wife Faith bought the farm. They spent their lives collecting and sharing the history of the Shakers. Shaker Farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. This means it's an important historical site.
Contents
What is Shaker Farm Like?
Shaker Farm is in a quiet, country area of Richmond. It sits on the east side of Dublin Road. The property covers about 10 acres. Most of this land is open fields. There are also trees around the farm buildings.
Buildings at the Farm
The farm has four main buildings. These include the main house, a barn, a shed, and a small outdoor toilet called a privy. The house is a 1-1/2 story building made of wood. It has a sloped roof and a chimney in the middle. The outside is covered with clapboard siding.
The Unique House Design
The back roof of the house slopes down more than the front. This gives it a "saltbox" shape. The front of the house faces south and has three sections. The main door is in the middle. This door is not the original one. It was saved from another Shaker house. It has cool iron hinges and latches. Inside the house, you can still see many original parts. This includes wide pine floors. The Andrewses also added or fixed things using parts from other Shaker buildings.
The History of Shaker Farm
The land where Shaker Farm stands was first given away in 1762. This was part of a land grant to Joseph Dwight. Over time, the land was divided and sold many times. Eventually, the 10-acre piece was sold to Daniel Hand. He built the house soon after.
The Andrewses' Restoration Project
In 1937, Edward Deming Andrews and his wife Faith bought the farm. The house was in very bad shape back then. They spent the next two years fixing it up. Their book, The Fruits of the Shaker Tree of Life, tells all about this restoration. The farm has been kept in good condition since then.
The barn, which was built in the early 1800s, was also restored. A newer part was added to it. The Andrewses were very important in bringing attention to Shaker craftsmanship. Shaker Farm was even featured in many magazines. This helped people learn more about the beautiful and simple style of the Shakers.
 | Kyle Baker |
 | Joseph Yoakum |
 | Laura Wheeler Waring |
 | Henry Ossawa Tanner |
