Shaker Collectors Weekend
2022-08-12 - 2022-08-14 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
An engaging multi-day program designed to enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of collecting all things Shaker. Featuring talks, tours, and behind-the-scenes experiences with Enfield Shaker Museum’s collection, Shaker Collectors Weekend is a rich opportunity to connect with fellow enthusiasts and learn from experts on Shaker material culture and history.
Program Schedule

Friday, August 12:

A tour of highlights from the Shaker collection at the Hood Museum, Dartmouth College
Dinner and cruise aboard the M.V. Kearsarge Restaurant Ship on Lake Sunapee

Saturday, August 13:

Choice of two hands-on Master Classes:

Conservation Techniques & Wood Identification with Andy Belisle
Shaker Furniture of New Hampshire with Richard Dabrowski
Adventures in Good Collecting with Tommy Hines
Cataloging for Collectors with Emma Franco-Toner

Panel Discussion | Approaches to Collecting: Exploring the Perspectives of the Museum, Collector, and Dealer, featuring Phil Zea, Tommy Hines, Robert Hamilton, and John Keith Russell
Build Your Own Tour
Keynote | “Curious Objects” live podcast on the history of Shaker Sewing Desks with host Benjamin Miller, sponsored by the Magazine Antiques

Sunday, August 14:

The Belfits & the Shakers: A Heritage of Endearment, presented by Ashley Freinberg. To learn more about the Belfits click here.

Optional add-on experiences include:

Golf at Montcalm Golf Club
A behind-the-scenes tour of Canterbury Shaker Village

Thank you to our sponsors.

Thursday Tour: Historic Preservation
2022-07-28 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join Education Coordinator Kyle Sandler for an in-depth look at historic preservation at Enfield Shaker Museum. This special tour will focus on the past, present, and future of preservation work on our historic buildings. Topics for discussion will include timber framing, window restoration, paint analysis, and a few surprise discoveries.
Included with regular Museum admission.

"The Colors of Weather" with Dr. Lourdes B. Avilés
2022-07-21 19:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
We’re excited to have rescheduled Dr. Lourdes B. Avilés (Plymouth State University) to share her research on “The Colors of Weather: Amazing Optical Effects In The Sky.”
This lecture is part of our Weather-Wise series. It’s free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. The Weather-Wise exhibit will be available for attendees to explore prior to the lecture.
This project was made possible with support from New Hampshire Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.

Stone Mill Concert Series: The Michele Fay Band
2022-07-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join us for a summer concert series on the lawn of the Stone Mill!
Bring your chairs and blankets and enjoy free live music. Beer, Hard Cider, and Food will be available to purchase during the concert.
Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.
July 20th’s concert will feature: The Michele Fay Band
Live music will start at 7 pm, but vending will begin at 6 pm.
Special thanks to our sponsor Gallagher, Flynn & Company, LLP

Thursday Tour: Enfield Shaker Basements
2022-07-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join Education Coordinator Kyle Sandler on this special tour of Enfield Shaker basements. Participants will get a chance to step behind the velvet rope and explore spaces normally closed to the public. Learn about use, construction techniques, and more.
Included with regular Museum admission.

Stone Mill Music Series: UVCB
2022-07-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join us for a summer concert series on the lawn of the Stone Mill!
Bring your chairs and blankets and enjoy free live music. Beer, Hard Cider, and Food will be available to purchase during the concert.
Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.
July 13th’s concert will feature: The Upper Valley Community Band
Live music will start at 7 pm, but vending will begin at 6 pm.

Weather-Wise Lecture: Dr. Lourdes B. Avilés
2022-07-05 08:00 - 17:00 | NH
We’re excited to have rescheduled Dr. Lourdes B. Avilés’ (Plymouth State) talk on “The Colors Of Weather” for July 21st at 7pm.

This is a free event and open to the public.

This lecture is part of our Weather-Wise series and is sponsored by NH Humanities.

4th of July Pie Sale and Concert
2022-07-04 11:00 - 13:30 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join us for our annual 4th of July pie sale at the Museum.
Come for the pies, stay for the concert!
Bring a picnic lunch and a blanket and relax on the grass with your homemade pie and enjoy a performance from the Grace Crummer Quartet!

Thursday Tour: Shaker Attics
2022-06-30 13:00 - 14:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join Education Coordinator Kyle Sandler for a behind-the-scenes tour. We will explore several attics and discuss the role these spaces played for the Enfield Shakers. This tour will also focus on architectural details that can only be seen in the less traveled parts of a Shaker structure.
Cost: Included with regular Museum admission.

Thursday Tour: Great Stone Dwelling through Shaker Eyes
2022-06-23 13:00 - 14:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
In the mid-19th century, Shakers Giles Avery, Freegift Wells, Nancy Moore, and others visited the Enfield Church Family’s new stone dwelling house. Following in their footsteps, join Education Coordinator Kyle Sandler as he explores the building and discusses the current and historic features that so fascinated Shakers from other villages.
Cost: Included with regular Museum admission.

Oval Box Making Basics
2022-06-17 - 2022-06-18, 2022-06-11 - 2022-06-12 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Join box maker Eric Pintar of the Home Shop to create one of the most iconic items of Shaker woodworking, the oval box. Using carefully prepared thin strips of wood each participant will carve the “swallowtails” or “fingers” on one end before soaking them in a hot water bath to soften for bending. Copper tacks are installed to hold the oval hoop together before top and bottom boards are fit and held by wooden pegs. Each participant will construct 5 nesting oval boxes from cherry wood in this two day workshop.
All materials are included. No experience is required.

Weather-Wise Opening
2022-06-16 19:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Please join us for the opening of Weather-Wise, a community-curated exhibition exploring weather’s impact on the Enfield Shakers’ daily lives within the larger context of climate change. See how our community curators and craftivists translated historic handwritten and printed weather documents into colorful “Tempestries” charting daily temperatures in historic years.
Tour the new exhibition in Brethren’s East Shop, meet the community curators and craftivists, and enjoy a talk by Dr. Lourdes B. Avilés (Plymouth State University) on “The Colors of Weather: Amazing Optical Effects In The Sky.”
This project was made possible with support from New Hampshire Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org.

Stone Mill Music Series: The Flames
2022-06-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join us for a summer concert series on the lawn of the Stone Mill!
Bring your chairs and blankets and enjoy free live music. Beer, Hard Cider, and Food will be available to purchase during the concert.
Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome!
June 15th’s concert will feature: The Flames
Live music will start at 7 pm, but vending will begin at 6 pm.

Shaker Style Serving Trays
2022-06-15 - 2022-06-16 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Join instructor Eric Pintar of the Home Shop for a two day workshop on Shaker style serving trays. Each participant will become familiar with construction techniques while creating their own set of 5. Long thin band stock is carefully bent and custom boards seamlessly fit to create a very useful project. With Shaker inspired elegance these are sure to become instant heirlooms, they even nest neatly when not in use making a proud display!
All materials are included. No experience is required.

Shaker Oval Carriers
2022-06-13 - 2022-06-14 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Join instructor Eric Pintar of the Home Shop for a two day workshop exploring three styles of Shaker oval carriers: fixed handled, swinging handled, and divided carriers. Participants will learn construction techniques and hardware application while working on their own projects. Oval carriers were a popular offering to the “World’s People” by Shaker craftsmen.
All materials are included. No experience is required.

NH Gives
2022-06-07 17:00 - 2022-06-08 17:00 | Online
Support Enfield Shaker Museum during NH Gives!

We at the Museum are committed to continuing to provide educational and impactful experiences to our guests. We’re constantly adding new opportunities to explore the Shaker way of life, including our soon-to-be-released smartphone-guided tours, new exhibits, and expanded digital programming.
We would be honored if you chose to support the Enfield Shaker Museum with a gift during NH Gives.
To learn more about Enfield Shaker Museum’s NH Gives Campaign, click here!

Opening Day 2022
2022-05-21 10:00 - 17:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
The Enfield Shaker Museum will be opening for weekend visits on May 21st!

Tour the buildings, visit the gardens, check out our new exhibit, and more! We can’t wait to see you at Enfield Shaker Museum!

Spring Shaker Forum
2022-04-22 - 2022-04-24 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join the Museum for an engaging annual weekend devoted to Shaker history and culture. There will be presentations by Shaker scholars, special activities, lodging and meals in the Great Stone Dwelling, and networking with colleagues and friends.
Overnight packages: Please call the Museum at (603) 632-4346. For pricing click here.
Non-overnight packages: Online registration is available below.
Museum Members: Use your member coupon code_Forum at checkout for the Member rate.
For our full schedule, click here.
2022 Special Presentations
Galen Beale-“’How do you know that?’ – Finding the foundation manuscripts for Beech Hill, the Reconciliation of Hervey Elkins and the Shakers”
Sharon Koomler– “Visionary, Teacher, Mother: Revisiting our Relationships with Mother Ann”
2022 Presenters
Jeffrey Brace– “Good Foundations: Early Hancock Shakers and the Laundry & Machine Shop”
Gerald Brewington– “Shaker Meeting Houses of the West: Doing Their Own Thing”
Robert Emlen– “The Picturesque Shakers”
Kerry Hackett– “‘For the Benefit of Believers Only’: The Mystery Behind 30 Medical Receipts”
Linda Johnson– “Animism, Animals, and Agriculture: Animal Husbandry in Nineteenth Century Shaker Religious Practice”
Richard Marshall– “Celibacy and Sexual Scandal”
Stephen Miller– “Shaker Ephemera: What is it? Where is it found? What use is it?”
Ned Quist– “Holes in the Fabric of a Shaker Village: Three Lost Buildings of Harvard”
Rebecca Soules– “Henry Blinn’s Museum: A Shaker Cabinet of Curiosities”
For our full schedule, click here.

Shaker Sunday Takeout Dinner Fundraiser
2022-03-27 15:00 - 17:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Enfield Shaker Museum is once again thrilled to partner with B&W Catering Company to offer three unique dining experiences this winter! We’ve shared our Shaker recipes with Chef Brent Battis and are excited to taste his Shaker-inspired creations.
Each monthly Takeout Dinner (January, February, and March) will include a short video from Chef Brent with information on the recipes, cooking processes, and reheating instructions!
Takeout dinners will be available for pickup on the last Sunday of the month at the Great Stone Dwelling from 3-5 pm.
Museum Members enjoy a 5% discount that can be applied with your Member Coupon Code at the point of checkout.
Not a Member yet? Become one today: https://shakermuseum.org/support/membership/

January 30 Dinner Menu (order by January 26)
Sister Content’s Corned Beef Hash / onions, peppers, mushrooms, and local butter
Baked Tomatoes / local aged cheddar and House-made breadcrumbs
Cracker-Crusted Cod Fish Cakes / local cider-rich fish sauce
Sister Sally’s Sour Cream Cornbread / whipped Styx and Stones honey butter
The Sweet Stuff
Sister Lettie’s Maple Pie / whipped sweet cream

February 27 Dinner Menu (order by February 23)
Gold Potatoes in Cream / with rosemary, parsley, dill, and local butter
Woods Cider Mill Boiled Cider-Infused Carrots / thyme and butter
Brother Irving Greenwood’s Pot Roast / pan gravy
Sister Lettie’s Buttermilk Biscuits / whipped butter
The Sweet Stuff
Shaker Cider Pie / Woods Cider Mill boiled cider, nutmeg, and whipped cream

March 27 Dinner Menu (order by March 23)
Canterbury Shaker Parsnips / brown sugar and local butter with fresh thyme
Butternut Squash / ginger and orange peel
Fried Chicken Supreme / Walpole Valley Farms free-range chicken, House-made breadcrumbs, and local cream
Eldress Bertha’s Applesauce
The Sweet Stuff
Eldress Bertha’s Funny Cake / butterscotch, roasted pecans, and coconut

From the Collection: Cheese Presses
2022-03-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Join curator Michael O’Connor for Cheese Presses, the second of our 2022 online presentations focusing on objects in Enfield Shaker Museum’s collection. These presentations provide in-depth investigations of Enfield Shaker Village material culture, identifying and comparing common and not-so-common features of Enfield-made objects. After each presentation there will be time for questions and further discussion.

Shaker Chair Seat Weaving
2022-03-12 13:00 - 16:00, 2022-02-19 13:00 - 16:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Learn to weave a chair with Shaker tape and help Enfield Shaker Museum! In all Shaker communities, fabric tape was preferred over rush or wood splint for chair seats. Fabric tape is longer lasting and is simple to weave. Any chair seat with rails on all four sides may be woven with tape.
Our wonderful reproduction Shaker ladderback chairs, used for all events and meetings, need some tender loving care. Using one of our chairs and chair tape, we will teach you the art and mystery of chair seat weaving. Or you can bring tape—or purchase tape in our Gift Shop—to reweave your own chair, for a modest fee.
All participants will need to bring scissors and a hammer.
Free for participants who will be weaving Museum chairs
$25 for participants weaving their own chairs
Class size limited to 10. Advance registration required.

Museum Board president and expert Shaker chair weaver Carolyn Smith leads this workshop.

Weather-Wise Book Club: The Year Without Summer
2022-03-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
The Museum’s Weather-Wise project continues! Funded by New Hampshire Humanities, this project helps us examine the impact of weather and longer-term climate change. In 2021, we inaugurated the project with four online lectures about weather and its documentation, and its impact on historical events and in art.
This winter we are offering a Weather-Wise book club and our community-curated exhibition based on Enfield Shakers and the weather.
Our first book is Guinevere Glasfurd’s The Year Without Summer: One Event, Six Lives, A World Changed (2020). Recently longlisted for the 2021 Walter Scott Prize, you can read a book review here.
We’ll discuss this intriguing novel in a hybrid meeting at 7 pm on March 3, 2022. This event is free, but please register below.
Thank You to Our Supporter:

From the Collection: Enfield Shaker Rugs
2022-02-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Join curator Michael O’Connor for Enfield Rugs, the first of our 2022 online presentations focusing on objects in Enfield Shaker Museum’s collection. These presentations provide in-depth investigations of Enfield Shaker Village material culture, identifying and comparing common and not-so-common features of Enfield-made objects. After each presentation there will be time for questions and further discussion.

Members Only: Preservation Updates in the Great Stone Dwelling
2022-02-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Join preservation volunteers Richard Dabrowski and Paul Waehler for an in-person members only behind-the-scenes tour of ongoing preservation projects in the Great Stone Dwelling.
Not a Member yet? Become one today: https://shakermuseum.org/support/membership/

Kids' Maple Sugaring Kit
2022-02-14 - 2022-02-18 | Enfield Shaker Museum, 447 NH Route 4A, Enfield, NH, 03748, United States
Sponsored by the Brundage Foundation
Every year during late winter, the Enfield Shaker Brethren and boys went out to tap thousands of sugar maple trees. Carrying on this tradition, Enfield Shaker Museum is offering a maple tap kit for kids this February.
The kit includes supplies for tapping one backyard maple tree and other maple-themed activities. Contents include a maple tap spout, sap bag holder, and a 4 gallon sap bag. All you will need is a 7/16″ drill bit.
Kits are free, but numbers are limited. Please register below.
Kits will be available for pickup February 14-18. To arrange a pickup time, email education@shakermuseum.org or call (603) 632-4346.
