The Shakers were well known as master craftsmen, both as carpenters, and in wood working. These particular cabinets, are located on the top floor of the Centre Family Dwelling House, a 24,960-square-foot building that housed as many as 80 men and women.
Pleasant Hill, Kentucky also known as Shakertown, was a Shaker (the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing) religious community from 1805 to 1910. With many well-preserved buildings, the village was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
The Kentucky Shaker village was founded by three New England Shaker missionaries, John Meacham, Benjamin Seth Youngs, and Issachar Bates. They founded the community around the teachings of Mother Ann Lee who believed in celibacy. Kentucky’s Shaker community ultimately died out, in part because of their beliefs in celibacy, problems encountered during and after the Civil War, and a declining interest in their way of life by potential converts. But their legacy of hard work, and fine craftsmanship lives on at Pleasant Hill.