Between Mt. Assurance & Mascoma Lake
Photographer: Roy Knight

Enfield Shaker Museum Makes You Kindly Welcome

Imagine a place so beautiful and serene that the Shakers called it the "Chosen Vale."

Nestled in a valley between Mt. Assurance and Mascoma Lake, in Enfield, New Hampshire, the Enfield Shaker site has been cherished for over 200 years. At its peak in the mid 19th century, the community was home to three "Families" of Shakers. They practiced equality of the sexes and races, celibacy, pacifism and communal ownership of property. Shakers farmed over 3,000 acres of land, educated children in model schools and worshipped in the "Shaker Way."

Today, their story is preserved by the Enfield Shaker Museum

Great Stone Dwelling House

• Tour the Great Stone Dwelling, the largest Shaker dwelling house ever constructed and home to the Museum.
• Discover a world of faith and harmony through the Museum's collection of Shaker furniture, tools, clothing, photographs and agricultural implements.
• Explore the Museum's herb and flower gardens, fields and hills.
• Enjoy exhibits, special programs, concerts, guided tours and craft demonstrations.
• Hike to the Shaker Feast Ground for a spectacular vista of the Shaker Village nestled along Mascoma Lake.
• Shop at the Museum Store, filled with Shaker-inspired reproductions, books, local crafts and farm products, as well as products from the Museum's renowned herb garden.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the site is a vibrant cultural, community and educational center.

The Museum offers spectacular views and splendid accommodations

Employment opportunity

We are seeking an events coordinator for Enfield Shaker Museum.

Adopt a Window in the Great Stone Dwelling!

Built in 1837-1841, the Great Stone Dwelling is the Shakers’ most significant architectural achievement. To plan the building, Enfield Trustee Caleb Dyer sought the best architects in New England. Ammi Burnham Young, who designed the second State Capitol for Vermont and later became the first Supervising Architect for the United States Treasury, was selected to do the job. Skilled tradesmen from Boston were brought in to carry out the construction of the granite walls and slate roof. The Great Stone Dwelling was intended to house nearly 100 Shaker Brethren and Sisters. It was the center of the Church Family, with rooms for dining, cooking, baking, sleeping, worship and greeting guests. The building was soundproofed so that the Shakers could carry out their duties in peace. [ More ]

Enfield Shaker Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational institution dedicated to interpreting and preserving the complex history of the Enfield Shaker Village and the Missionaries of LaSalette.

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