canterbury shaker village

We really enjoyed our time at the Shaker Village. Our guided was well informed and entertaining. We all learned quite a lot. For those that find standing a lot a problem, it may be helpful to know that several places along the tour seating was available for resting. We were happy to find that there is a visitor center with facilities and a gift shop - there is also a separate building that offered tasty food (soup, sandwiches, etc).

This has always been a want-to-visit place for us and we were finally able to get there. Our guide, John, was pleasant and very informative. Our walk through the grounds and several of the buildings gave him ample opportunity to describe the history of the Shakers and the current state of villages of which this is one of a few. He invited us to spend time on our own and the map provides background information. There is, of course, a gift shop. We had a sandwich and drink lunch in an adjacent building, and we recommend your stopping when you're in central New Hampshire.

I loved this shaker village. Myself and my aunt visited the Canterbury village this summer and we loved it! The guide was funny and great, the rest of the staff was friendly. The group are small so you really get to experience a different time and religion. We stayed at the walk- around museum for over 4 1/2 hours! I wouldn't recommend it to the elderly, because it does involve some fair walking, but to everyone else with a passion for history- please go to this shaker village!

We arrived at 10:00am we only had limited time but joined the 11:00am tour anyway. We were glad we did. Mary our guide (only on Tuesdays) really brought the village alive with her stories and knowledge. As she as friends with the last Shakers to live at the village her personal insights are unique. Mary really made our visit and we stayed much longer that we should have because it was so fascinating. I had very limited awareness of The Shakers before the visit but visiting the village was one of the highlights of our trip through New England.

On a wet day we were shown around by Dan, a softly spoken guide who was easy to listen to and who gave us a clear, simple history of the shakers from their beginnings in Manchester, England and were then able to explore independently. We were a bit restricted because of the rain but there were plenty of buildings to explore indoors and these buildings also had knowledgeable, friendly guides.

Got there at 2 PM and debated doing $17 docent-led tour at 3 PM but thought we wouldn't have sufficient time to do tour and self-guided visits. We were told that the admission was good for visits on 2 consecutive days so we viewed the Ken Burns documentary and started the self-guided portion of the visit until the guided tour started. Returned the next day and completed the self-guided stuff. Learned so much a our Shakers and HIGHLY RECOMMEND visiting for a couple of hours to do it all. Wish we had time to have lunch there but always need to leave something for the next visit, eh? (Guided tours are at 11 AM, 1 & 3 PM--- well worth admission)

If you have any interest at all in the Shakers, or indeed in American history generally, this is a wonderful place to visit. The whole visitor experience is extremely well managed and the guide that we had was very well informed, articulate and interesting. We found the experience moving and very enriching. Very highly recommended and worth travelling for - we live in the UK!.

A 'gotta go' event.... !! We lost count of how many cars were there but suffice to say, there are cars for everyone, every decade, every manufacturer, every continent. Other than the elegant setting for a Concourse De Elegance show, the Shaker Village setting & countryside is the next best thing ! An amazing private collection of motoring history, gathered all in one beautiful & historical setting ! It is planned & manned by the Model A Ford Club of America and is open to all types of cars.Just pay the Shaker Village admission of $17 (per adult, & ask for the AAA Membership discount) & walk around & see the cars & the grounds and buildings, itself. 4000 acres in total.....and make sure to walk around, enter the buildings & chat with the volunteer artisans & docents.Great soups, salads. sandwiches, whoopie pies, coffee & drinks available in the The Shaker Box Lunch & Farm Stand for good prices.

Visited for about 3 hours and could have stayed longer. Plan your visit there with a guide which is about 90 minutes. Our guide was Dan and he did an exceptional job in explaining the beliefs of these kind people. Yes, they had extreme views and very disciplined but very kind. Movie in the school house was interesting - a interview with the last Shaker girl to leave. Another good film is an hour long in the Welcome Center. Well worth our afternoon. Wish that we had had more time.

The introductory movie is a must see to really understand the Shaker Movement in America. Very knowledgeable guides and a well done presentation of this important part of our religious history. Coming from "Amish Country" in Pennsylvania it was interesting to compare and contrast these two religious sects. Definitely worth the trip.

One of the best heritage sites I have ever visited. Joanne our guide was great and all the buildings we visted were interesting and informative. Very good audio visual presentation at the start and an emotional one in the school house. Our four hour visit just vanished. Worth the entry price. If you are in the area this is a must see place to go. If you are British then go and see part of your British heritage. Social inclusion in a community and an early example of social care of young people without any of the abuse experienced in other places. Unconditional love. Modern day society can learn much from the Shaker way of life.

We got here later then we had wanted. We watched part of the video then got our tickets since we were running out of time. We were only able to go into 2 of the buildings. I recomend setting aside a full afternoon. Take the tour. There was so much we didn't have time to see.

Finally decided it was time to visit after being "on the list" for years. Had planned on maybe 2 hours, but enjoyed 5 1/2 hours in the village, and could have stayed longer. Move a visit to the top of your list - the docents and tour guides are exceptional and very knowledgeable. No need to give you a history lesson now - just go. But, plan to arrive for the first morning tour (1 1/2 hours) to learn and see some buildings you will not see on the self-guided tour. Then have lunch on site, and take in the 1:30 Inspired Innovations tour. Again, different buildings and more great history. In the exhibition hall I had the pleasure of meeting (and listening to for quite awhile) Darryl, whose Dad helped establish the museum village. You truly get an understanding of the Shakers, and see the village as it has been for over 200 years.

A fascinating tour about the lives and the village of a religious group we knew little about. We had a great guide - Sean - who was most knowledgable about the village and the Shakers that lived there, down to the most minute details. If you like to step back in time, this is a must see attraction if you are in the area. You also find out the state of Shakers and their villages in the 21st century. You can do a self-guided tour as well.

Canterbury Shaker Village is a museum and historic site. It is one of several Shaker communities founded in the19th century. It is one of the most well-preserved, authentic surviving Shaker settlements.Guide-led and self-guided tours are available daily from late May to mid-October and weekends in early May and November.Admission fees:$17.00 - Adult - $10.00 in November$8.00 - Youth - ages 6 to 17Tickets are good for two consecutive days, except on special event days. The place to begin is at the Visitor Education Center, the long, low white building next to the barn. It houses the Visitor Center and gift shop. The Shaker religion began when James and Jane Wardley broke away from the Quaker religion and formed the Wardley Society which became known as the Shaking Quakers. Ann Lee, who later became the leader, and her parents joined the sect early on. The group became the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. One of their beliefs was that the second coming of Christ would be as a woman; therefore, the church looked to women for leadership. As membership in the movement grew, the Shakers were persecuted. Ann Lee was jailed in Manchester, England. She became known as Mother Ann. In May 1774, Ann Lee and eight of her followers sailed from Liverpool to America and founded Watervliet Shaker Historic District which is in present-day Albany, NY. Other settlements, including Canterbury, followed within 5 years. At the height of popularity, the Shakers had eighteen communities in New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The Shakers flourished into 1900’s when celibacy took its toll, and their numbers dwindled to near nonexistence. The only remaining community with active members is at Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester, Maine.Their motto was: Hands to Work, Hearts to God.Anyone could become a Shaker. People from all walks of life would come to live in the Shaker village---struggling farmers, widows with children, retired teachers and doctors, soldiers, and former slaves. Some people came just for the winter. All were welcome. The only requirement was that they had to live as a Shaker while they were there.The Shakers were organized in a hierarchy with four levels. The first level was the family. Above the family were members known as elders and eldresses, deacons and deaconesses. The third level consisted of two men and two women who formed a ministry that governed over the each community. The fourth level was the bishopric that governed the local communities.Shakers were known for:1) Their communal, celibate lifestyle2) Their belief in equality of the sexes3) Simple living4) Pacifism 5) Quality furniture6) Oval wooden boxes - They also made them in circular shapes and in sets of nesting boxes. 7) Seeds - They packaged and sold them. They were known for being high quality.8) Medicines - They grew many herbs and used them in medicinal syrups and pills. Each bottle was hand filled and each pill was individually made. These medicines would also be sold by vendors throughout the area.9) Honey - Shaker communities would keep several beehives.10) Architecture - particularly the innovative round barns Shakers also invented familiar household items, machines, and tools:1) The washing machine - Canterbury Shakers patented a washing machine that won a gold medal at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 in Philadelphia. 2) Apple peeler3) Apple corer4) Rolling pin5) Dough mixer6) Circular saw7) Flat head corn broom - the forerunner of brooms used today 8) Clothespin Not only did they innovate with their own creations, but they also embraced state-of-the-art technology from the outside world. In 1901, they had New England Telephone Company install telephones at the Canterbury Village site. That eliminated the need to travel long distance between Shaker communities to communicate. In 1910, Canterbury had its own powerhouse built. Our group of 26 took a guided tour. The guide was very knowledgeable. I've found that to be the case with different guides on previous visits. Our tour started at the Visitor Center. We learned that Canterbury Village was founded in 1792.We were led across the street to the Meeting House where we learned of their religious services that involved men on one side and women on the other, segregated dancing in lines, and singing. Services were open to all, but many curious visitors remained outside and peered through the windows to observe. Music was an important part of Shaker life in the Canterbury settlement. From 1842 to 1908, eleven different Shaker hymnals were published by the Shakers of Canterbury.Next was the Dwelling House that contained the cooking and dining areas, sleeping quarters, plus a chapel and common rooms. In the cooking area, we began to learn about the division of labor within the community which was assigned based mostly on ability, but sometimes rotation to learn new skills was in order. The dining area was not very large because the Shakers ate in shifts. There were separate staircases for men and women to the sleeping quarters upstairs. The sleeping quarters were interesting because of the storage of clothing in drawers. To ensure correct delivery from the laundry area, each article of clothing was marked with a code as to what drawer in what room it belonged. The Shakers were very methodical. Next was the Laundry building. The Shakers invented a washing machine and the clothespin. Their laundering and drying processes were very systematic. There was a large area with sliding drying racks on the second floor. The drying operation was located on the second floor so that heat rising from downstairs would circulate and dry the laundry faster. The sliding racks were something like a pocket door system. Then, the items were checked for missing buttons, holes, tears, etc. Mending was next. Everything was then sorted by codes marked on the items and delivered to the coded location. Then, we were left to explore the rest of the few other open buildings on our own. Among the other buildings were:● The Syrup Shop that was a distillery to make medicinal syrups● The Sisters’ Shop which had work space and a music room● The Bee House which is open only during special events. It was used originally as a drying house for lumber and apples and later as a bee house by an elder● The School House which started off as a one-room schoolhouse and expanded into a two-story building. The one-room schoolhouse is still there on the first floor.● The Carriage House that has exhibits of Shaker furniture. I especially liked the Syrup Shop, School House, and exhibits in the Carriage House.Wear comfortable walking shoes. The paths are uneven and have dirt and stones. The reason why they are not paved is that paving did not exist in the 1700's and 1800's, and this museum strives to keep its buildings and grounds authentic. There is limited wheelchair access to many buildings. The Horse Barn adjacent to the Visitor Center houses The Shaker Box Lunch and Farm Stand. The Shaker Box Lunch sells sandwiches, go-withs, and a variety of beverages daily. There is seating inside. There are a few picnic tables out front. The Shaker Table at Canterbury Shaker Village is run by the Lakes Region Community College Culinary Arts Program. Public lunch is served 11:30 to 1:00 on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the college’s program year. Reservations are strongly encouraged.If you found this review helpful, kindly click YES below.