Brunch with the Babies at Shaker Village
A few years ago, I went on a press trip to Shaker Village. My childhood memories of Shaker Village were of a particularly joyless class trip when I was in 5th or 6th grade, and of the long-held family story that I behaved terribly at Shaker Village when I was around 2 years old. It was pretty nice to revisit the spot as an adult and see how beautiful and historic and fun it can be!
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill was established by the Shakers, a communal Christian society rooted in celibacy, equality of race and sex, and freedom from prejudice, in 1805. The original buildings have been restored, and the site features hiking and riding trails, a working farm and an excellent restaurant. A fun fact they did not teach us in 5th grade is that, while the Shakers personally abstained from drinking, their longstanding tradition of hospitality extended to honoring their guests’ choice to imbibe. In the spirit of that tradition, you can find a surprisingly good cocktail at Shaker Village, as well as an absolutely amazing slice of lemon pie.
In addition to that pie (seriously, it’s ridiculously good!), Shaker Village offers some absolutely stunning views of central Kentucky, the simple and beautiful architectural style for which the Shakers are famous, and a full working farm with a petting zoo. I seriously never turn down the opportunity to hang out with baby goats or farm dogs, so this was one of my favorite parts of the trip!
If your family would like to get in on the great food and sweet animals portion of the Shaker Village experience, they’re offering a “Brunch with the Babies” experience this April (every Saturday and Sunday, except Easter Weekend). It would be such a fun way to enjoy the Shaker Village experience without traumatizing the kids.
Louisville Stoneware for Pleasant Hill Pottery
A few months ago, I won an Everything But the House auction for an amazing set of vintage Louisville Stoneware luncheon dishes and bowls. Now, I've been collecting Stoneware for as long as I can remember, but this is one of the most unique designs I've ever seen. According to the mark on the bottom of the pottery, it was made for Pleasant Hill. Of course, I knew that Pleasant Hill is the home of Shaker Village -- I certainly took in more than a few grade school field trips there -- but I wanted to learn a little more about the pottery and the Shaker Tree of Life logo.
The familiar Tree of Life on the front of the dishes was, of course, a variant of the orange-and-green logo that's represented Kentucky's Shaker Village since the property opened to the public as an inn and restaurant in 1968. A little more research told met that the stylized Tree of Life logo dates back to an 1854 painting by Shaker folk artist Hannah Cohoon. Mrs. Cohoon, perhaps the most famous painter of the short-lived Shaker religious and folk art movement, painted many variants of the Tree of Life theme. (For a fascinating take on Shaker iconography and art, read this New Yorker article.)
My research into this awesome pottery pattern got even more interesting when I posted photos of a piece to Instagram, and got some comments from an IG follower who works at Stoneware. She showed photos of the pattern and the branding marks to a longtime Stoneware painter, who dated these pieces to the late 1980s or early 1990s. How fun that social media, online auctions, and a little research could piece together the story of these fun dishes!
