Old Orchard Beach, ME to Concord, NH (Hwy 111 to Alfred, Hwy 202 to Rochester, Hwy 11 to Alton, Hwy 140 to Gilmanton, Hwy 106 to Concord)
Dense fog and drizzle hail my departure from the Maine coastline as I have reached the apex of my journey east and now turn west to begin the voyage home. Heading into New Hampshire I again plunge into the dense forest of the Great North Woods.
I am a bit puzzled because I clearly am in the middle of nowhere and yet all of a sudden “No Parking” signs appear about every 100 yards along the highway. Can’t imagine the need that might prompt all this regulation until I turn a corner and am stunned at the sight. Here, in the middle of the forest northeast of Concord, New Hampshire, surrounded by nothing else (no restaurants, hotels, gas stations), sits an enormous NASCAR racetrack! I did know that there was a NASCAR facility around Concord because I had to change my travel plans due to the fact that the few RV parks around Concord were full that weekend because a race was scheduled, but assumed it was in Concord. No, it’s way out here!
My directions tell me to turn west directly across from the racetrack and I faithfully follow my path according to MapQuest. One of my guiding principles along my journeys is that as long as there is a yellow divider line in the middle of the pavement I’m not lost because a yellow line always goes somewhere. My faith is tested as suddenly I find myself not only in the middle of the New Hampshire woods without a yellow line, but then the pavement disappears. However, channeling my inner “Lewis and Clark”, I forge on.
Shortly I emerge onto a highway, breathe a sigh of relief, and head down the road to my next destination, Canterbury Shaker Village. The state motto of New Hampshire is “Live Free or Die” and the presence of the Shakers illustrates a group that came to the area seeking the freedom to practice their religion in the way they wanted to.
Canterbury Shaker Village
There was a great deal of religious dissent in 18th-century England and around 1750 a small group of people from various sects banded together and formed the United Society of Believers. They became known as the Shaking Quakers, or Shakers, after their use of energetic dance and song during worship. The group, under the leadership of Mother Anne Lee, emigrated to the United States in 1774 and eventually established nineteen self-sufficient colonies from Maine to Kentucky. The colony outside of Canterbury, NH, was founded in 1792 and flourished, reaching its’ peak population in the mid 1850’s when about 300 men, women and children lived in the colony. Today the village, a National Historic Monument, is one of the most complete, authentic preserved Shaker Villages in the United States.
Shakers challenged virtually every mainstream idea of their time. They believed in communal ownership, pacifism, equality of sexes, celibacy and simple living. “Work is worship” was the way of life. The results were impressive as the colony prospered and became wealthy, known throughout the nation for the simple design and quality of goods produced. Because of adherence to celibacy, the existence of the colony relied upon their ability to attract children. There were no child welfare programs during that time so orphans, children who were abandoned by parents due to economic circumstances, or who were otherwise unwanted were welcomed to the colony. Children worked at chores along side of the adults but were well-taken care of and learned many skills. Scaled-down versions of traditional Shaker furniture were made for the children and toys were shared by all.
This is the walking guide used to explore the village, which is organized in three rows (from left to right). The left row is mostly an open lawn called Meeting House Lane capped with the Meeting House (as they called their place of worship) at the eastern end. The middle row starts with the Infirmary on Shaker Road (7) and then the residential structures. The last row (which splits into two rows in the center) consists of all the shops and work buildings. All of these structures are in the condition as used over the 200 years the colony was in existence. Most of the structures were initially built in the late 1700’s and then added to or remodeled over the ensuing years.
The Meeting House (1792) was where the Shakers worshipped. It has two doors, one for the men on the left and the women on the right. The Meeting House is one large open room with attendance segregated with the men sitting on the north side, the women on the south.
The view from the front of the Meeting House is of the pasture and the tree-clad hills of New Hampshire to the southwest.
The residential row is anchored by the gray Infirmary next to Shaker Road and the residential dormitories lined up to the east.
The Infirmary was first built in 1811 and enlarged/remodeled in 1846 and 1892.
Various rooms lead off the central foyer, where a large cast iron stove (with a copper storage tank for hot water on the left) heats the building.
The apothecary (storage of medicinal herbs and drugs) also housed the dentist, who’s chair is in the middle of the room, complete with the foot-powered drill.
Surgeries were performed in the same room where patients recovered.
One of the other patient rooms has an adult cradle, used for people suffering from “sleeplessness.”
Further up the row are the residential structures, the largest of which was also the last one used. Named the “Dwelling House”, the main section was built in 1793 with additions expanding the house in 1814 and 1837.
The Shakers were self-sufficient and everyone worked. Tasks were segregated between men and women, and everyone did everything, rotating between various tasks on a schedule so that each individual had working knowledge of all of the skills necessary for survival of the colony. The majority of buildings in the village are workshops. Here is the view east up the lawn between the residential row on the right and the first row of shops on the left.
Not all of the buildings are open and my tour went into the Spin Shop, built in 1795 with the laundry added to the back in 1816 and updated throughout the years as new machines and procedures evolved.
The laundry facility had a large heating element in the center and various work stations around the peripheral of the room.
All of the functions of a modern-day washing machine were performed by the three large cylindrical tubs along the back wall.
Clothes were dried by hanging outdoors in the summer and in the winter large drying racks in an upstairs room were used. Each of the racks is on rollers and was pulled out as needed. Pipes with hot water running through them run on the floor beneath the drying racks, aiding the drying process.
Wool socks shrink as they dry so the Shakers had wooden forms made that socks would be pulled on to dry while keeping their shape.
Laundry was collected from the various buildings in wicker baskets, each marked with a code of letters (specific building) and numbers (specific room) that the laundry came from.
The rest of the middle area is filled with buildings housing workshops of various kinds.
There was even a separate building for the processing of honey, called the Bee House, built in 1837.
The Shakers prayed over every building and, once built, a structure could not be destroyed or altered if at all possible. This explains why alterations to buildings were almost always additions, not dismantling of the old building and constructing a new one. The Schoolhouse is a great example of this. The Schoolhouse was first built in 1823 and the Shakers maintained separation of gender by having boys and girls attend school at different times of the year (girls in the summer and boys in the winter.) As the population of the colony grew the need for more classroom space became obvious. In 1863 the building was doubled in size by an unusual process. Keeping with the Shaker ethic, the old building could not be destroyed so it was raised and a new level was built underneath the old structure along with an addition on the east side. Thus, today’s “second story” is the original first floor.
The “new” first floor.
The second floor (old first floor.)
The number of children entering the colony dwindled in the early 1900’s as living conditions improved in the nation and social programs began to evolve. Attracting children, especially boys, became very difficult and eventually the children consisted entirely of girls. The last graduating class of girls occurred in 1935. Fewer and fewer adult converts also came into the colony and the numbers shrank throughout the 20th century. The last sister passed away in 1992.
Concord, NH
About 20 miles to the southeast sits Concord, center of an area populated by around 40,000 people and capital of the state of New Hampshire. The historic downtown area centers on the state capitol building, constructed in 1819 and the oldest capitol in the nation where the legislative body still meets in the original chamber.
Immediately to the north of the capital are other impressive public buildings, including the New Hampshire Historical Society and the New Hampshire State Library.
West of the capitol is the old US Post Office and Courthouse. Originally completed in 1889, it is now the New Hampshire Legislature Building. Of particular note is how carefully a newer addition has been added to the back (the granite blocks are similar shape and color), designed to complement the original architecture rather than fight it.
On the block west of the legislative building sits another imposing structure constructed of Vermont granite, the 1903 First Church of Christ, Scientist. Donated by the founder of the Christian Science movement, Mary Baker Eddy, it is one of most notable towers on the Concord skyline.
Immediately south of the capital building stretches the central business district, clearly a vibrant and successful integration of modern and historic structures.
Decorating the sidewalks are quirky pieces of street art, created out of bicycle parts.
An interesting stop in the center of New Hampshire!
Next up: American Classics
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