Shaker Village House Tour

The Harvard Historical Society presents a truly once-in-a -lifetime
event: the Harvard Shaker Village House Tour on Saturday, September
15, 2012, 10 AM - 4 PM in Harvard, Massachusetts.

The Harvard Shaker Village closed in 1918, and since that time the village buildings have
been privately owned. For the first time in almost one hundred years
the homeowners have graciously agreed to open their houses for this
event, providing an unprecedented chance to step inside the world of
the Harvard Shakers. Visitors can view sacred sites such as the Holy
Hill of Zion and the Shaker "Lollipop" cemetery, and admission to both
Fruitlands Museum and the Harvard Historical Society Meeting House is
included.

In 1781, Mother Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers, came to Harvard,
Massachusetts in search of a place and people she had seen in a
vision. She found both the place and people at "The Square House,"
establishing it as the headquarters of her New England mission. A
highlight of the house tour, this building became the cornerstone of
the Harvard Shaker Village and is a pilgrimage site for Shaker
enthusiasts.

The Harvard Shakers prospered throughout much of the nineteenth
century. At its peak, around 1850, the village was a vibrant and
industrious community where Shaker Brothers and Sisters lived, worked,
and worshiped apart from "the world." The later half of the century
brought a gradual decline and the village closed before appreciation
for Shaker heritage and legacy had matured. Some of the buildings have
been lost to fire, collapse, etc. but many were saved and converted to
private homes.

An opportunity for the public to visit all of these homes at once has
never been presented before, and may never happen again. Do not miss
this truly once-in-a-lifetime event. A limited number of tickets will
be sold. To download an order form go to http://harvardhistory.org or call 978 456 8657.

Tickets will not be available on the day of the tour.  All tickets will be mailed two weeks in advance of the tour.  The houses are not handicapped accessible, and some  uphill walking is needed to visit Holy Hill and Fruitlands. Please leave pets at home.