Shaker Scholars...

Because of the slow internet at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough Ma (hard to understand as it sits right next to Cisco); I didn’t get to do any blog posting this week while at seminar.  Hubby and I have arrived home this evening and over the next few days, I’ll post a few photos and comments.  For now, here’s many of the attendees in front of the Harvard Shaker Meeting House, now a private home.  Thank you to the owner for a closer look at a spectacular historical building!

Today it is a sweet place waiting for money and restoration before time takes more of a toll.

Osborn House

One does not need to be religious and to believe in a certain God to feel spirituality.  It was moving to me to be inside this structure, almost exactly 230 years after Mother Ann and join in a short song of that religion.  Those of us who love history know what these moments can be.

Friends

We toured the premises, a local gravesite, Richard read from the Testimonials sections that were relevant, and a few even braved the basement.

(Not original, but lovely)

A lovely day as always.

P.S.  Rich and I went on to BashBish Falls where we hiked a 300 foot vertical drop via steel cable to the falls (we did take the slightly less difficult path back up).

300 feet down...

Lunch spread...

We enjoyed a pot-luck feast of several salads, turkey breast and amazing desserts!

You’ll see from previous posts that hubby and I generally attend the Shaker Seminar each summer.  There’s much to learn about this quite unknown slice of American history – there’s so many aspects: theology, history, communal living, business aspects and more.  (I’m not even going to list furniture – which is what I think everyone thinks of when they hear the word Shakers.)

As a college instructor, I often give students the advice of forming a study group.  Study groups are known to increase the likelihood of retention of information.  And, at the college level it helps form friendships – some  will become life-long.

This study group (about 40 strong) all have different interests in the Shakers; but all have a love of learning more and sharing that knowledge.  And, for hubby and I, a comradery in learning — talking and sharing knowledge on a subject of passion is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  Try it sometime!

We are attending the 2010 Shaker Seminar being hosted this year at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, MA. It is the village’s 50th year as a museum, and extra attention is being paid to this important moment in their history.

The lectures are on the whole very interesting; and as usual the people who attend are fascinating, generous, and incredibly knowledgeable about all things Shaker.

height="262" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-487" />

Sunday morning brought two final presentations for this year’s seminar:  Rob Emlen presented “Picturing a Shaker Village:  How the public imagined the Shaker Landscape in 1835″ and Steve Paterwic “Canterbury Takes the Lead” — both fascinating and interesting.  These workshops were held in the upstairs dining room of The Shaker Table, where we also stayed for quite a good lunch (to tell you the truth I thought the brunch food was far superior to what they had served us for two dinners on Friday and Saturday).

Hubby and I stayed another couple of hours to look about the village more and go on the Dwelling tour which we had not managed to squeeze in as yet.  We really had to hold a tongue a few times when the tour guide- truely doing her volunteer best — got a few things twisted.  On the whole though, she knew her basic stuff.  The biggest thing we wished was that she knew a few dates.  I think because the Shakers have a long history at Canterbury, it’s important to name dates or you will, as tourist and visitor, assume they “always” did it that way.   It was a short tour and only wish we could have enjoyed it for a longer time.

We then took small roads home as we did not want to get on the local highway with everyone going home on Sunday night — only once the GPS suggested a road and it led to a closed bridge!  So we had to reverse direction; but then we got to see a pretty little one lane covered bridge, so worth the detour.

Home late and tired, with mud in the basement from a serious rain storm (yet another) while we were gone.

After a nice breakfast, we met at Canterbury Villageand split into two groups.  One group went on a special textile tour (sorry I can’t tell you much about it) — the other group which hubbie and I joined — went on the hike that took us to 3 of the 8 ponds built by the village in the 1800s as well as the Feast Grounds.  It was a beautiful morning, cool but progressively sunnier as we went along.  We had to hop, skip and jump quite a bit of mud and water, but what a wonderful hike.  (Above, you can see the base of the fountain stone at the Feast Grounds)  After getting back, some one lots of us know took a dip off the end of Boy’s Island (can you guess who it is?) and we had lunch in the shade.

The afternoon was three sessions:   David Newell on Valentine Rathbun; Vern Squire on The Birth, Life and Death of Olive Branch and Jane Crosthwaite on “From Mary Magdalene to the Belved Elders in the Church at Shirley:  Bearing for the Dad, Conversations in heaven and the Problem of History.

THe day ended with sore feet, a nice dinner and a lively end of day Trading Session.

A few more views of our morning hike in the woods:

It was an active day on our feet,

but we are enjoying, as we always do, many wonderful conversations and discussions with new comers and “old” attendees.

A photo of the outside and one space inside the Great Stone Dwelling:

This is the organist inside the chapel next to the Great Stone Dwelling, as well as hubby enjoying the music in beautiful surroundings (for info on how the dwelling and chapel are “related,” follow the links).

Hubby and I are attending the Shaker Spring Forum this weekend being hosted by Enfield Shaker Museum.  If you’ve read my blog previously, you know that this is a scholarly hobby we share.  We attend a few events every year; and never fail to learn something of interest about these very interesting people.

The weekend began last night with a guided tour of their current exhibit, "Shaker Yokefellows: Enfield Shakers from Vermont."  For Robert Frost enthusiasts, you’ll be able to figure out where the title of the exhibit is derived.   Then a fabulous dinner!

Today was six presentations: very high quality scholarship and presentations.  The topics covered were gendered landscape, Canterbury leadership, the relationship between Shaker women and the girls they cared for, cooperage at Enfield, the story of Eunice Chapman and her child, and wonderful Shaker music.  (Tomorrow when I get home, I’ll post some photos:  I forgot the cable to upload them (of course!)). For a more detailed description, go to the Enfield website and you’ll find a pdf with the details.

The evening ended with another fabulous Shaker dinner with a story teller – Rebecca Rule -  regaling us with stories of New Hampshire — creatively, with some success, related to the lives and times of the Shakers.   Both dinners come from Eldress Bertha: my favorite, no surprise, being desert tonight:  chocolate zucchini cake a la mode.  A recipe I’ve used several times at home.

There’s a presentation and tour tomorrow morning and lunch before we head home.  It’s a bit tiring but a wonderful way to spend a weekend away.