The Shakers and the Civil War in Kentucky

Did you take s boat ride on the Green River? I did that years ago when I visited Shaker Village.

Yes indeed aboard the Dixie Belle riverboat. We really enjoyed it! The view of High Bridge towering above the river was incredible.

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Pleasant Hill during the Civil War:

The years immediately before the Civil War proved to be difficult for maintaining membership in the celibate Shaker community. It was challenging to recruit adult members, and young orphans brought into the community often left when they came of age. The Civil War only added to the difficulties. With the start of the war, their principal market of New Orleans was inaccessible. In addition, the Shakers were pacifists so they were sometimes viewed critically by their Unionist and secessionist neighbors. Furthermore, the Shakers did not believe in slavery, which was an established institution in Kentucky.

The Battle of Perryville, Kentucky’s largest Civil War battle, was fought on October 8, 1862, just seventeen miles from Pleasant Hill. Both Union and Confederate armies took advantage of the Shakers’ pacifist nature. Their belief in serving those who were in need wiped out the community’s resources when thousands of troops arrived on their doorstep. While no structures were damaged, the presence of the soldiers took a toll on the community’s supply of food, crops and livestock. Shaker sympathy for the injured showed in their efforts to care for the Perryville wounded left in Harrodsburg. Many of the sick were left behind in their community as the armies moved away, and one soldier from Georgia who died at Pleasant Hill was buried in the community cemetery. In the last two years of the war guerillas often raided Pleasant Hill and made life even more difficult for the Shaker members.

Combined with the losses incurred during the Civil War, the Shakers were reluctant to join the industrial movement that spread across the United States after the conflict. Their way of life - agriculture and useful crafts - were now produced large-scale and on a global market. By 1910, only a handful of Shakers still lived at Pleasant Hill. The last-surviving member died in 1923, thus ending the community.
 
the Shakers did not believe in slavery, which was an established institution in Kentucky.

One of the reasons why Abraham Lincoln's father moved the family out of Kentucky.

Back to the river for a moment:

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Believe it or not, it was raining when I took that pic.

Shakers built miles of these fences by hand, held together by nothing but gravity:

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At the Shaker village, black means that a structure is not original or authentic. However, we saw black barns all over central Kentucky, often next to a red barn. I wonder if they copied the idea from here. It took some getting used to, but I learned to like that look. We even found a black fence at a horse farm. Bourbon distilleries paint their barrel aging storage buildings black. In most parts of the South, you never see anything painted black.

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The traditional Black Barn of Kentucky was for tobacco. They raise the heat inside the barn to help with curing of tobacco. Many got their color from creosote, which repells termites. Later, the barns were painted black as a fashion statement.

My Granddad raised tobacco. All his barns were black. I remember as a child seeing the tobacco hanging in the barns.
 
… The Battle of Perryville, Kentucky’s largest Civil War battle, was fought on October 8, 1862, just seventeen miles from Pleasant Hill. Both Union and Confederate armies took advantage of the Shakers’ pacifist nature. Their belief in serving those who were in need wiped out the community’s resources when thousands of troops arrived on their doorstep. While no structures were damaged, the presence of the soldiers took a toll on the community’s supply of food, crops and livestock. Shaker sympathy for the injured showed in their efforts to care for the Perryville wounded left in Harrodsburg. Many of the sick were left behind in their community as the armies moved away, and one soldier from Georgia who died at Pleasant Hill was buried in the community cemetery. In the last two years of the war guerillas often raided Pleasant Hill and made life even more difficult for the Shaker members...

I wish I had known about this and how worthwhile it is when @mkyzzzrdet and I visited Perryville and Harrodsburg three years ago because we were casting about for other things to see in the area. The Shakers' experience reminds me of the unfortunate way the Moravians at Salem (now Winston-Salem), N. C., were similarly taken advantage of during the Revolution, especially after the 1781 Battle of Guilford Court House. The British brought their seriously wounded from the battle to Salem and essentially dumped them on the settlers; in addition to the extra mouths to feed and injured to care for, when smallpox broke out, as it frequently did under such circumstances, many of both the Moravians and their wards died.
 
I was trying to find the quotes from Pleasant Hill, when we visited many years ago, but couldn't find them. Anyway, I remember this that in the morning the Shakers had to feed a big Union group that visited and in the afternoon 600 Confederates showed up also demanding food and the phrase I've always remembered was one of the Shakers said "we had to get dinner/supper on right smart." They were under terrible stress there by both sides.
 
Bumping for those not familiar with the Shaker Communities in Ky. This is a wonderful place to visit. I don't know if open now. Since Covid bad in Ky, the Governor is closing more down again. I talked to son today and he says Governor worried and believes more closedowns are necessary. Have to check and see what going on.
 
@donna, do you know why black barns are so commonplace in Kentucky?
It is not unusual for travelers to dial 911 to report a barn on fire during the dark curing process. The barns have tall skinny doors along the sides to facilitate loading the sticks of tobacco leaves. It is quite something when smoke from dark fired tobacco seeps out from all those joints.
 
My wife and I visited Pleasant Hill a few years ago and found it to be both beautiful and haunting. The buildings were silent sentinels to the men, women and children who inhabited these grounds for years. The empty halls and rooms seem to echo sounds of low volume.

We have also had the opportunities to visit the Canterbury Shaker Village, which was very beautiful and interesting. A non profit group is running many of the operations the Shakers performed and offers a very nice gift shop.

We visited the Enfield Shaker village in Northern New Hampshire which is beautiful! The Great Stone Dwelling, the center piece of the village, is the largest building ever built by the Shakers.

Mascoma Lake, which the village lies along, is the most beautiful site in all of New England! We travelled through Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and Maine but New Hampshire was the crown jewel! I can't help but think of On Golden Pond while we drove along the beautiful shore of this gleaming body of water. @NH Civil War Gal you should be so proud of this natural beauty.
Regards
David
 
My wife and I visited Pleasant Hill a few years ago and found it to be both beautiful and haunting. The buildings were silent sentinels to the men, women and children who inhabited these grounds for years. The empty halls and rooms seem to echo sounds of low volume.

We have also had the opportunities to visit the Canterbury Shaker Village, which was very beautiful and interesting. A non profit group is running many of the operations the Shakers performed and offers a very nice gift shop.

We visited the Enfield Shaker village in Northern New Hampshire which is beautiful! The Great Stone Dwelling, the center piece of the village, is the largest building ever built by the Shakers.

Mascoma Lake, which the village lies along, is the most beautiful site in all of New England! We travelled through Vermont, New York, Massachusetts and Maine but New Hampshire was the crown jewel! I can't help but think of On Golden Pond while we drove along the beautiful shore of this gleaming body of water. @NH Civil War Gal you should be so proud of this natural beauty.
Regards
David
When were you here? Would have loved to have met you.
 
2016 I believe but our 1st trip was in 2002 both times in October for foliage and covered bridges.
We flew into Boston, rented a car, and spent a week driving through New England and in 2016 we flew into and out of Burlington
Loved both visits and were surprised at how small the states were.
Regards
David
 
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