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The ShakersIntroduction: They called themselves the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, but because of their ecstatic dancing the world called them the Shakers. At their height in 1840 more than six thousand believers lived in nineteen communal villages from New England to Ohio and Kentucky. Tales of their peaceful and prosperous lives impressed the world’s utopians. But Shaker aspirations were divine, not social or material. As millennialists, they were unified in the belief that Christ had come again, first in the person of Mother Ann and subsequently “in all in whom the Christ consciousness awakens.” It was therefore the duty of each believer to live purely in “the kingdom come” and to strive for perfection in everything he or she did. To read more from the Ken Burns PBS description go here. ------------------------------------------------ The longest-lived Shaker community in the West, South Union Shakertown in Kentucky, was active from 1807 to 1922. Comprised of 225 buildings and 6,000 acres of land, the architecture of this Shaker village reflects a regional Southern influence, quite distinct from the villages of the eastern United States. South Union's Centre House has been recognized as one of the finest Shaker buildings in existence with its simple refined details--the curves of its limestone gutters and its many elegant arches. This three and one-half-story, T-shaped dwelling for the Church family was built with handmade brick and a hand-hewn limestone foundation between 1822 and 1833 and became the central building of the South Union village. Although it incorporated separate spaces within the dwelling, the Centre House did not include the typical gender-separated main entrance, but had a double stone stairway leading to a single main doorway instead. Today visitors to Kentucky can visit the South Union Shakertown Historic District which is located along US Hwy. 68 in South Union, Kentucky. The Shaker Museum at South Union is open for tours March 1-November 30, 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday-Saturday, and 1:00pm to 4:00pm Sundays (closed Thanksgiving). For more information call 1-800-811-8379. Shaker Cemetery, South Union, Logan, Kentucky To view who is buried in this cemetery click here!
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