Canterbury Shaker Village NH 03224

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Celeste Ruppelt

Canterbury Shaker Village is a historic site and living museum Canterbury, NH. It was one of several Shaker communities founded in the 19th century and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993. The site is now operated by a non-profit organization established in 1969 to preserve the heritage of the Canterbury Shakers. For more than 200 years, the Canterbury Shakers called this place home. From 1792 to 1992, they created a society built on communalism, gender equity, racial equality, and pacifism. At its peak in 1850, there were roughly 300 shakers living on almost 3000 acres of land. Today, the Village consists of 26 historic buildings on 694 acres. The Shakers were always celibate; their lives were divided along gender lines, with each gender living and working among their own. They ate separately, lived in separate dorms, worked at traditional gender related jobs in their community, and almost no one broke the rules. Yet their population increased by new converts; children in the non-Shaker community who needed homes, and rarely, a young mother with small children. They kept a school on the property and made sure the children under their care were educated properly. Incoming adults were subject to training in Shaker ways and given a choice to stay on after that. If they chose to do so, they adopted the lifestyle, including the celibacy of the group. This living museum impressed me, so that it seemed that a Shaker could walk out from one of the buildings and into our visit. There were a couple of negatives. We were not allowed access to several buildings, with the biggest disappointment being the dwelling houses. And our guide seemed rude when asked questions, or when people sat or stood where he didn’t want them to. He would not have done well with children, but there were none on our tour.

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Andrea Verrill

Beautiful landscape in the spring and autumn especially. Most of the buildings were closed but I love visiting the dwelling house. Perfect for hiking easy trails and learning about Shaker history.

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Jen G

A little pricey for admission, but a nice stop in the middle of nowhere. Grounds and buildings are well maintained. Staff is super friendly. If you get a chance,chat with Charles in the print shop. Shakers were an interesting people. Worth a stop.