Wednesday, August 15, 2012

We Make You Kindly Welcome....

We recently took a trip to a favorite spot of ours - The Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.  This place is fabulous!  So peaceful and serene and the views are gorgeous and the history overflowing! 

This is an actual Shaker Village from the 1700s until approximately 1910. In the 1960s preservation on the Village began.  Thank goodness someone had the foresight to come in and preserve this treasure!

Upon arriving we went straight to the Craft Store to see what wonderful handcrafted and reproduction items were available to purchase! 
Here is a Village Cat lazing on the windowsill of the Craft Store.  Adorable!


The view from this window and every window in the village is spectacular! 


 While at the Craft Store I purchased two shades of Shaker Tape to redo a Vintage Signed Hitchcock Chair that I purchased a few months ago.  The chair originally had a rush seat but when I bought it it lacked a seat entirely!  I strung a chair very similar about 7 years ago with Shaker Tape and it looks great!  The two chairs will compliment one another when I am finished.  I will of course write a blog about it!

Below is a photo of a rocker in our Shaker Village room done in Shaker Tape.  Most of their chairs were done in this style.  At the Village you are able to lodge in actual houses where the Shakers lived!  It is amazing!


At the Trustee's House is the Dining Area and more lodging.  The stairs are freestanding and span 4 floors from the basement to the third floor!  It is amazing!  Here are three of our children on the second floor.


Can you believe a 17 year old Shaker designed these stairs!  And there is not just one of these staircases!  There are two matching staircases!  You will find two sets of doors and two stairs in most of the houses - one for the men and one for the women!


That evening we took a walk down the gravel road which used to be the Kentucky Turnpike.  It goes straight through the middle of the Village!  At the end behind the Rock Walls you will find 4 Beautiful Horses - Heather, Ivy, Moon and Nail. 


They absolutely loved the attention!  Especially the one below - Heather.


My Seven Year old daughter even put a braid in her mane!  I wonder what the farmer thought the next morning when he saw her new hairdo!

Doesn't she look beautiful!?!


Here are matching staircases and front doors to the West Family Dwelling.  This is one of many houses where lodging is available.


Below is one of the doors to the rooms for the guests staying overnight.


The Center Family Dwelling is breath taking!  Here is is at night.  It is HUGE!  It is approx 25,000 square feet and is the museum at the Village holding most of the original Shaker pieces that were recovered over the years.


Below is a photo of the Trustees House where the fabulous spiraling staircases and a fabulous meal with abundant food can be found.  If you eat here make sure you come hungry!


I cannot leave without showing you our room at the Village.  It was located on the top floor of the East Sister's Wash Shop.  It was huge!  A large living room with concealed kitchenette, Dining Table and more!


And the bedroom with Reproduction Shaker Furniture - some of which is made right in the Shaker Village!  

The ambiance cannot be beat!


I hope you have a chance to allow the wonderful people at The Shaker Village make you Kindly Welcome as they have us for the past 12 years that we have been visiting them!


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