Incorporated in 1761, Enfield’s earliest settlers came north from the Connecticut town of the same name. Some 30 years later, James Jewett, one of the town’s residents, was introduced to the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearance, commonly known as the Shakers. Jewett’s encounter with the Believers would have a lasting impact on Enfield.

In the post–Revolutionary War years, a strong interest in religion, enlightenment, and spiritualism developed throughout the young nation. Known as the Second Great Awakening, it was a time of revival meetings and emotional, charismatic preaching. The Shakers were one of a handful of religions to experience rapid growth. Jewett and his wife Molly converted and opened their home on Mascoma Lake for worship.

 

Building Communities

Founded in mid-18th century England, the Shakers are best known for their ecstatic chanting, dancing, and singing during worship, as well as their furniture designs. Misunderstood and frequently jailed, church leader Mother Ann Lee, her brother William, and a small group of followers moved to America in 1774. Within a few years, they established the first Shaker village near Albany, New York. Once established, Mother Ann began a series of proselytizing missions to expand membership and build new communities.

Along with boisterous worship, the Shakers believed in communal living and ownership, pacifism, equality of the sexes, and celibacy. Rural poverty played a vital role in recruiting new members. Life was incredibly hard on small family farms. Together, a community of 100 or more Shakers could accomplish a level of self-sufficiency, comfort, and prosperity that an individual family could rarely achieve. At its peak in the mid 1800s, there were about 5,000 Shakers in the United States living in 19 villages.

The Jewetts attracted converts from surrounding towns and as far away as Maine. Together, they constructed a meetinghouse and communal home and called their community Chosen Vale. At its peak, it was home to more than 300 Shakers—living, working, and thriving on 3,000 acres with more than 100 buildings including a meetinghouse, schools, workshops, barns, and more.

 

Working Together

Their communal efforts allowed the Shakers to produce for themselves and create excess for sale. Throughout their tenure in Enfield, the Shakers built several businesses and financed others. Their commercial interests included bucket manufacture, wholesale seeds, medicinal herbs, and knit and sewn goods as well as financing and constructing commercial buildings for lease.

The Great Stone Dwelling is a wonderful example of Shaker prosperity and ingenuity. When it was completed in 1841, it was the largest, most expensive home north of Boston. Designed by architect Ammi Burnham Young, the magnificent six-story house is built from locally quarried granite. It is filled with the best design ideas of the day, including weighted window sashes on all 182 windows, toe-nailed hard pine flooring, and beautiful paneled doors.

Both men and women lived in the Dwelling. Like all Shaker architecture, it reflects Ann Lee’s teaching of neatness and order. The bedrooms are spacious with ample storage. Along with peg racks for hanging clothing and tools, there are 860 built-in drawers throughout the house. At the time, it would have been close to impossible for an individual family in rural New Hampshire to plan, finance, and build a home of this magnitude.

 

The Shakers’ Decline

While many assume celibacy led to the downfall of the Shakers, it is only part of the story. Just as rural poverty helped grow Shaker membership, new economic opportunities can be credited for its demise. With the industrial revolution, factories and mills sprung up in towns across the northeast. By 1900 the Shaker population had fallen to about 1,000. By 1935, there were less than 100 members. 

When the mills opened in nearby Lebanon, Newport, and Claremont, many Chosen Vale members chose to leave the restrictive rules of religious, communal life. After the precipitous drop in membership, Chosen Vale was closed and put up for sale in 1923. Most of the remaining residents moved to the Shaker Village in Canterbury. The property was purchased by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, an order of Catholic priests, in 1927.

 

The Shaker Museum is Born

In 1985, the priests sold about half of the property to a real estate investment group. They had big plans to build a lakeside community of condominiums and a golf course. Soon after the developers arrived, a small group formed the nonprofit Shaker Museum. This year marks the museum’s 40th anniversary. At its start, the Shaker Museum group owned none of the Chosen Vale land or buildings, had $125 in the bank, and was determined to preserve Shaker history in Enfield. While working on their plans and financing, the real estate developers lent the museum space for a small exhibit in the Great Stone Dwelling, loaned some artifacts, and permitted tours of the grounds.

The investors were bankrupted in the real estate bust of the early 1990s. The condominiums and golf course were never built, and their loss created an amazing opportunity for the museum. Working with the bank and the State of New Hampshire, the Shaker Museum group purchased its first buildings and land. At the same time, the state purchased more than 1,000 acres of fields and forest. The land is protected from future development and preserved for recreational use.

 

Expanding Once Again

Over the next 30 years, the Shaker Museum group continued to purchase buildings and land as they became available. In 2023, with the closure of La Salette, the group completed its final purchase of what was once Chosen Vale. Included in the sale was what would become the Chosen Vale Performance Center. For 40 years, the Shaker Museum has raised millions of dollars for the purchase and upkeep of these antique buildings, rebuilt the gardens, and maintained the land. It has been and continues to be an enormous challenge and amazing achievement.

Today the Great Stone Dwelling is both museum and inn. Twenty-one rooms, each with a private bathroom, are available for rent. It is a popular site for historic tourism, retreats, reunions, and conferences. Beautifully furnished with Shaker reproductions, the house is filled with historic photographs and artifacts. The kitchen and dining room are fully equipped and ready for your event. Surrounded by gardens and just steps from Lake Mascoma, the Great Stone Dwelling is indeed a special place. A popular wedding venue, the bride and groom can choose to celebrate outside by the lake, in the Dwelling or, for rustic flair, in the stone mill.

 

So Much to See and Enjoy

A great place for families, there is lots to do at the Shaker Museum. Not just for rainy days, there is plenty to experience, both inside and out. Visitors have a choice of a guided or self-guided tour. After seeing the Great Stone Dwelling, visitors can explore the workshops, walk through the gardens, or take a hike through the fields and abutting conservation land. The Enfield town beach is a mile down the road, so be sure to bring a picnic and spend the day. A quick note for the future—the museum staff are investigating the possibility of turning the Wood House into a café or restaurant. It’s a beautiful open space and would be a much-welcomed addition to the Upper Valley.

The museum hosts numerous programs, special events, workshops, and projects throughout the year. There is something for everyone. The Shaker Forum held each spring is a fascinating weekend of lectures and workshops for scholars and laymen alike. Bring your mom to the Mother’s Day Celebration. Bring the entire family to the Harvest Festival in September. Enjoy printmaking, letter writing, fiber arts, cooking, and other creative workshops and weekends.

Music lovers will want to attend the Summer Concert Series at the Mary Keane Chapel. Gardening aficionados will enjoy tours, workshops, and volunteer opportunities with the museum’s master gardener. Gourmet or gourmand, you’ll enjoy the annual Solstice Dinner and Pie Sale in July and October.

Much-needed renovations on the Chosen Vale Performance Center are complete. The staff is hard at work putting together a performance schedule. This unique space can seat up to 300 people. The center will soon offer a variety music, dance, lectures, and theater programs. 

The list of activities at the museum is long and growing. This spring and throughout the year, make it one of your favorite destinations for the arts, history, entertainment, and recreation. Carolyn Smith has been with the Shaker Museum from the start, first as executive director, then a longtime board member and, again in 2022, she took on the role of executive director. Carolyn encourages visitors to come often and says, “There is so much to see and enjoy. You’ll want to come back again and again.” 

 

Enfield Shaker Museum

447 NH Route 4A

Enfield, NH

(603) 632-4346

shakermuseum.org

Open mid May to mid October
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 12–5pm