Dreary days tend to make me dreary; it’s like I never fully wake up. Today has been one of the best rainy days I have ever had, fully awake and hitting on all cylinders.
I am visiting Hancock Shaker Village working on documenting several more pieces in their collection. Since my last visit, about 200 items that had been in a traveling exhibit the past few years have returned.
So, I have spent the entire day hidden away in the Brick Dwelling measuring and photographing some of my favorite furniture. It has been absolutely wonderful.
— Will Myers
Most cool. A few of us also enjoyed our rainy days this weekend in Iowa.
Many years ago while stationed aboard a submarine atNew London Conn. I was able to visit Hancock Shaker Village. It was amazing the things they made and inventedlike the round barn that housed 52 head of cattle (and I have read that onlytwo exist) outside the window in your post, how they used hollowed out logs topipe in water from a pond that ran the water turban in the wood shop to drivethe machinery and the concept of the circular saw in the wood shop that afemale suggested.
It is myunderstanding years later that a private person had purchased the village, whenit was struggling, and he sold off all the stuff at the village. Then the museumhad to copy original pieces and/or ask people that had original pieces to donatethem back to the village. So I hope the pieces you are photographing are infact original items.
Tom
Dear Tom,
So glad that you enjoyed your visit to Hancock Shaker Village many years ago. You may be thinking of another Shaker village that went into private hands and had to sell off their collection. At Hancock, the property was purchased directly from the Shakers in 1960 by a local philanthropic group and has been run by a non-profit board ever since. We never sold off the collection, and in fact, have been adding to our extensive collection of over 22,000 objects in the years since 1960. Be assured, Will Myers is only copying authentic Shaker artifacts. Please come back to visit us soon!
Sincerely,
Lesley Herzberg
Curator, Hancock Shaker Village