Shirley Shaker Village
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Shirley Shaker Village
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Shirley Shaker Meetinghouse in 1910
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| Nearest city | Shirley, Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates | 42°31′35″N 71°39′6″W / 42.52639°N 71.65167°WCoordinates: 42°31′35″N 71°39′6″W / 42.52639°N 71.65167°W |
| Area | 730 acres (300 ha) |
| Built | 1793 |
| NRHP Reference # | 76000271 |
| Added to NRHP | May 24, 1976 |
Shirley Shaker Village is a historic former Shaker community in Lancaster and Shirley, Massachusetts. Defined as an historic district, it includes about half of the original buildings and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Shirley Shaker Village began in 1793. Hundreds of acres of land was donated by John Warren, Elijah and Ivory Wildes, and Nathan Willard near their properties. At its peak there were 26 buildings; Now there are 13. Within the community there were the North, South and Church families. By 1853 there were 150 believers, or members, and the community continued into the 20th century.
William Dean Howells, Shirley Shaker Village, an illustration from Three Villages, 1884.
Ministry Shop, Shirley Shaker Village
Cemetery, Shirley Shaker Village
The buildings were first made of clapboard and painted yellow and white. After the 1840s and the founding of a brick factory nearby, new buildings were constructed of brick. The brick administration building was styled similarly to one at the Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire. The interiors of the buildings were described by William Dean Howells in 1875 as
"the unpapered walls, the scrubbed floors hidden only by rugs and strips of carpeting, and the plain flat finish of the wood-work. Each chamber accommodates two brothers or sisters, and is appointed with two beds, two rocking chairs, two wash stands, and a wood stove with abundance of rugs. There were few tokens of personal taste in the arrangements of the rooms."
The Shakers earned income by producing and selling jellies, applesauce, herbs, mops and brooms. When the community dwindled and they were no longer able to be self-supporting, in 1908 "believers" moved to the Hancock Shaker Village.
The state purchased the property in 1909 and adapted it for use as an "industrial school" for troubled and delinquent boys. Extensive changes were made to the property, resulting in the movement, alteration, and demolition of buildings.
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