On the second day of our Berkshire vacation, we went to nearby Hancock Shaker Village. The village was once the home of a group of Shakers--a community of faithful who believed that Christ's Second Coming had been manifested in the form of their leader, Ann Lee. They believed in the equality of the sexes, celibacy, and communal living. They earned the nickname "Shakers" because of the shaking and whirling they did during the music of their worship services. Their believers dwindled, but some communities still remain. The Hancock Shaker Village was sold in the 1960s to a group committed to preserving the Shaker heritage. It is now a "living history museum" run by non-Shakers. Some of the museum workers dress in costume, but they are not Shakers themselves.
The village's energy needs are provided for by a mixture of solar and electric (grid) power. The solar panels were the first thing we saw as we walked into the village.
The Round Stone Barn greets visitors as they leave the visitor center and enter the village itself. This intriguing barn was built in 1826 and housed the village's farm animals, including the dairy cows. The Shakers produced a lot of dairy products, which they sold in the community. There are also rows and rows of vegetables and herbs. The Shakers were known for their herbal remedies.
In 1854, Shaker woman Hannah Cohoon had a vision of a tree. She recreated this tree in a real-life painting. The tree was called the "Tree of Life" (sometimes "Shining Tree of Life") and came to symbolize the unity of the Shaker people.
A museum worker demonstrates the water-powered saw in the Laundry & Machine shop.
There was men's work, and there was women's work. Each gender had a role, and those roles were considered equally important. Women churned butter and made other dairy products. They also produced textiles.
Shaker men made unique chairs. They sat on four feet, but you could rock on them!
Men's work also included making brooms.
Shaker men also made shoes.
The Shakers made gorgeous cloaks, which many non-believers (including First Lady Frances Cleveland, wife of Grover Cleveland) loved to wear.
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