Brooding Quiet of the Little Village Broken by the Death Angel

The final days of 1912 marked the last moments in the life of Jane Sutton, daughter of Polly Runyon Sutton and granddaughter of  Joseph and Jane Runyon. Jane's Shaker brother, J. W. Pilkington, died that same week and the Harrodsburg Herald was there to cover the double funeral:

Double Funeral

John Pilkington and Mary Jane Sutton
Buried Same Day at Shakertown - 
Service by Dr. Yeaman

The old Shaker Community in this county will in a short time, be reduced to its last member.  On last Sunday, and again on Monday, the brooding quiet of the little village was broken by the death angel and two souls answered the call and passed into "that bourne from which no traveler returns."  Sister Mary Jane Sutton, an extended sketch of whose life appeared in the Herald two weeks ago, and Brother John Pilkington, also mentioned in the sketch, died within a few hours of each other, and on Tuesday a sad little cortege wended its way from the village to the burying ground on the hill where the winter sunshine was slanting across two open graves.  There was one funeral service for both old people, and an impressive scene it was - the two caskets side by side in the hall of the Central House, while other members of the faith, neighbors and friends, gathered to pay the last tribute of respect.  It was pitiful to see the two with quiet, folded hands, but far more pitiful was the little group of mourners - the old "brothers" and "sisters" of the broken colony.  The service was conducted by Rev. M. V. P. Yeaman, of the Assembly Presbyterian church of Harrodsburg, who not only read appropriate selections from the Scriptures and offered prayer, but also made extended and touching remarks concerning the blameless and peaceful lives of the deceased.  Jane Sutton, one of the oldest and most beloved members of the colony, was in her eighty-first year, and had been a member of the Shaker community since her infancy.  She was born in Lexington, her parents being Isaac and Polly Sutton.  Her mother was a Runyan, a daughter of Joseph and Jane Runyan, and well connected.  J. W. Pilkington was in his 80th year.  He was born in Bullitt county in 1833, but lived in Louisville for a number of years, where he was connected with the old Louisville Courier, and also the Journal, before the consolidation of the two.  He was an intimate friend of, and was highly esteemed by, George D. Prentice.  The parents of the deceased were Abraham Pilkington and Indiana Skinner.  But seven of the Shakers now remain.  The colony has gradually dwindled till the halls of the great houses have become almost silent, and the hum of industry is no longer heard.  At one time, in 1864, there were as many a 146, and thousands have come and gone, and others into the great beyond.  The burying ground of the Pleasant Hill Community contains about four hundred graves.  Two of the remaining seven are old ladies, both over ninety years of age, sisters Sarah Nagle and Susan Murray.  It was a pathetic sight to see the two looking with tearful eyes upon the caskets containing the bodies of their life-long friends, and many and tender must have been the memories it stirred within them.  The passing of Shakertown seems a great pity and is regretted by many, as it makes one more of the several institutions to go that gave Harrodsburg a fame that is now so largely in the half-forgotten past.

-- Harrodsburg Herald, January 3, 1913

The Mysterious Case of the 1850 Census

Jane (aka Ginny) Runyon, wife of Joseph, was born December 12, 1766. Multiple journals from Pleasant Hill record her death on August 24, 1850. Jane lived the second half of her life -- a full forty years -- as a Believer, and spent those years at Pleasant Hill in its heyday, before attrition from death and young people leaving the society slowly began the community's decline.

The census for Mercer County, Kentucky was conducted on the 10th of September, 1850. So, I was surprised when I saw that Jane appears in the listing for Pleasant Hill.

Despite dying in late August 1850, Jane managed to be counted in the first and only census she could have been listed in individually by name. In previous years she would have been identified with a check mark under the column for females within the family by age range.

So how can a dead woman appear in the census? The census instructions for enumerators for the year 1850 tells us.

Every decade since 1790, census enumerators working on behalf of the United States government head out into their districts to count the people. And each year, those enumerators are given written instructions as to how to count. The traditional family unit is the typical unit that comes to mind -- a head of household, perhaps a spouse, children, an in-law, a boarder or servant, all in the same dwelling. But what happens when the enumerator has to count dozens, or hundreds, of people living in a larger institution?

"Dwelling houses [are] numbered in the order of visitation," reads the official instructions for 1850. "A widow living alone and separately providing for herself, or 200 individuals living together and provided for by a common head, should each be numbered as one family." 

Given their size and non-traditional living arrangements, I'm sure the counting of Shaker villages presented unique challenges for the enumerators. Luckily for the enumerators, there were just 19 Shaker villages to count in the United States, two of them in Kentucky.

It is in those instructions we uncover the reason why Jane Runyon, 18 days in the grave, made it into the record books in the year of her death: "Under heading 3, entitled 'The name of every person whose usual place of abode on the 1st day of June, 1850, was in this family,' insert the name of every free person in each family, of every age, including the names of those temporarily absent, as well as those that were at home on that day. The names of every member of a family who may have died since the 1st day of June is to be entered and described as if living, but the name of any person born since the 1st day of June is to be omitted."

The enumerator for District 1, Thomas E. Miller, must have not had the details of Jane's month and day of birth as the age recorded for her reads "84." She didn't quite make it to 84 but lived a long and remarkable life nonetheless.

Miller's listing for the Shakers of Mercer County spans nine pages, begins with no remarks and ends with the simple notation: "End of Pleasant Hill or Shaker Village"

West Family Preserve House

My last post showed a couple of different maps of Pleasant Hill's main cluster of buildings at the spot where US route 63 intersected with Kentucky route 33 before restoration of the village. One of the surviving original Shaker structures is the West Family preserve house, built in 1859 and sandwiched between the West Family wash house and the West Family sister's shop. 

Thanks to the Historic American Buildings Survey, a pre-restoration photo of the preserve house from 1940 exists in the Library of Congress collection.

The building as it appeared in 1940

History buffs/nerds/geeks like me will appreciate the card catalog entry for the photo that has been preserved in the collection:

A Pleasant Village

 

At its peak, the 3,000-acre Shaker village at Pleasant Hill consisted of over 200 structures. Today, the restored village contains 34 restored original Shaker buildings. 

This map gives us a bird's-eye view of the structures located in the heart of the village, from Trustee's Office to pigsty, and is reminiscent of the cartography style used by two Shaker men from the New Lebanon community who visited their brethren almost 200 years ago.

The map is found within the pages of Michael Capek's 2001 book "A Personal Tour of a Shaker Village" -- a book for kids in grades 4-7 described by one reviewer as being written "through the eyes of a fictional deacon, former slave, teacher, physician, and visitor to worship, readers learn about daily life, from waking rituals and food preparation to tanning chores, carpentry projects, and the care of silkworms." 

What the reviewer is apparently unaware of is that while the account of their daily life is historical fiction, the people that Capek highlights in the book are real: 

Benjamin Dunlavy (deacon)

Patsy Roberts Williamson (former slave)

Hortensia Hooser (teacher)

John Shain (physician)

The visitor mentioned in Capek's story had an experience that was likely similar to visitors Rufus Bishop and Isaac Youngs when they traveled through the Western Shaker communities in 1834, recording their observations and mapping fascinating pictorial renderings (in the LOC collection) of all that they saw at that moment in time.

Citation from Library of Congress:

Youngs, Isaac N, and George Kendall. Sketches of the various Societies of Belivers i.e. Believers in the states of Ohio & Kentucky. To which is added a slight sketch of Sodus Bay in the northern part of N. York. Also a map containing several of the states on which is laid out of the route of Bv. Rufus Bishop and Isaac N. Youngs New Lebanon while on a hour to visit these societies, in the summer and fall of. 1835. Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2002622454/>.

For the Shakers, the Church Was the Body of People

Dr. Jacob Glover, Director of Public Programs and Education at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, discusses the history and culture of the Shakers and the settlement at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in this THINK HUMANITIES Podcast from Kentucky Humanities. Recorded in 2020. (52 minutes)

Kentucky Humanities · Episode 127 - Jacob Glover, Program Manager, Shaker Village Of Pleasant Hill

Shaker Box - An American Classic

                

This 40-minute YouTube video produced by The Highland Woodworker delves into the history and production of the classic Shaker box. It follows woodworker Tim Arnold who explains how taking a class at Pleasant Hill blossomed into a career crafting unique boxes in the Shaker tradition. 

The Water House at Pleasant Hill

 Pleasant Hill produced this short and informative video on preservation at Pleasant Hill, with a focus on the water house.

The Library of Congress has archival material on the water house.

Looking Back ... 1912

Pleasant Hill - looking north from the East Family buildings

Shakertown Inn

1897 - The Shaker Hotel was opened for boarders by Sister Jane Sutton in the East Family dwelling. It subsequently became known as the Shakertown Inn, an effort by the few remaining Shakers to keep financially solvent.
                                                         

You can see the embedded stone in the brick between the second and third floors. It reads 1817. The East Family dwelling was built of Shaker-made brick and in 1826, Mercy Runyon was living in the Elders room here. Amy Runyon worked here as a nurse and caretaker of girls; Betsy and Amy Runyon died here.

Building Pleasant Hill

The Runyon family members arriving at Pleasant Hill in the early years of the 19th century would have been placed in various buildings that were available, notably, the "old fraim house" and a log house. Over the years, a regular shuffling of people from one dwelling to another was taking place. 

The Believers ranks apparently swelled to the point where some had to live during the warmer months in a camp. Shaker journals tell us that in September 1809, the Believers "built a log house, weatherboarded it & lathed & plastered it, which made quite a comfortable dwelling house. We moved in it in September. Bid a dieu to our camp." 

The old "fraim house" was occasionally occupied "by young Believers that would occasionally drop in for a time till at length the place was evacuated and the buildings mov'd away."  It was still in use in the fall of 1812 when newly-arrived converts Phineas and Charity Runyon were among its occupants. 

During 1809 the village's “First Stone House” was also completed (and may have been an early design by Micajah Burnett, the Pleasant Hill Shaker who went on to design the community's most impressive buildings). In August 1812, when the Center Family moved into the three story stone house, Embly Runyon was among them. Like many of the buildings, the first stone house was later re-purposed into the Farm Deacon’s Shop (it still stands today and is available for overnight accommodation. Likewise, the former blacksmith and wagonmaker’s shop was turned into museum shop and ticket office).

1809 "First Stone House" - now the Farm Deacon's Shop

1809 was a year of prolific building at Pleasant Hill. Journal records tell us that in the fall, a log house at the East Family was built for the special purpose of gathering the society's children (before this, the children were still living with their parents). The log house does not appear to have been used for the children right away. It is not until 1811 that Joseph Runyon (who had been serving as an Elder in the "fraim house") moved into "the loghouse to teach school" and other journal notes tell us the children were collected there in 1811. Their stay was apparently brief: On January 7, 1813 the North Family "mov'd up to the log school house ... it stood about 20 rods north of the three storyed Center stone house, then occupied by the School Family."

Runyons were again among those sharing the "fraim house" in December 1813 when Martin Runyon & family arrived at Pleasant Hill, with some remaining until January 1815. Later in 1815, Patience and Martin Runyon moved from the West Family to the North Family, Matilda Runyon moved from the North Family to the West Family, and Betsy Runyon moved from the East Family to the West Family. By the end of August 1816, a staggering 106 members comprised the West Family alone. Housing them must have been a full-time job.

The earliest buildings at Pleasant Hill faced west, in keeping with the tradition of the Shaker communities in the east.  But since prevailing winds in this part of Kentucky come from the southwest, the Believers asked for and were granted permission to reorient their structures. Turning the long sides to the west took advantage of solar heat, allowing more light to penetrate the interior. 

The Shaker Millennial Laws dictated materials and colors:  Dwelling houses should be either limestone or brick, outbuildings brick or painted clapboard (in colors of oxblood red, brown, ocher), interior floors should be stained reddish-yellow in the shops, and wood trim should be stained dark red for baseboards and blue for pinrails.

The East Family Dwelling, of Shaker-made brick, was completed in 1819 (and by 1826 Mercy Runyon was living in its Elders room). 

The Meeting House,  spiritual center of the community, was completed in 1820. Its first floor was constructed free of pillars to provide space for dancing during worship. Second floor apartments housed the village ministry which later included George Runyon.

In April 1826 a family was established at the grist mill composed chiefly of the former North Family. One of its elders was Sister Marcy Runyon.

The East Family Dwelling, the West Family Dwelling (completed 1822), and the Meeting House (1820) are all mature works of Micajah Burnett. The massive grey limestone Center Family Dwelling is considered his crowning achievement. Begun in 1824 and completed in 1834, the Center Family Dwelling served as the home of the First Order, "such persons as have had sufficient time and opportunity practically to prove the faith and manner of life of the Society, and who are prepared to enter freely, fully, and voluntarily into a united and consecrated interest." At almost 25,000 square feet, it was the largest building at Pleasant Hill. The limestone blocks ("Kentucky marble") were quarried locally from the Kentucky River palisades at the eastern edge of the Shaker property. William Runyon likely played a role in the fitting of the stones used in the Center dwelling, the foundation of the Meeting House, and many other structures at Pleasant Hill. In the 1850 census his occupation is listed as stone mason. 

The Center Family Dwelling housed as many as eighty Believers. Among them were William Runyon and Charlotte Runyon, and Joseph's wife Jane "Ginny" Runyon. Shaker journals tell us she moved from the shop to the Center dwelling in December 1842 and are precise to the point of saying she was given the "middle room 2nd story."  

The Trustee's Office, with its beautiful twin spiral staircases (also designed by the brilliant Micajah Burnett), was completed in 1839. This building served as offices and living quarters of the legal and financial leaders of the community, the trustees. Charlotte (Sally C.) Runyon was among the first to live here. Jane Sutton, Joseph Runyon, and Martin Runyon also served as trustees over the years. 

In total, the Shakers built over 250 structures at Pleasant Hill. Thirty-four of the surviving buildings were restored beginning in 1966. More on the architecture of Pleasant Hill can be found in the book Antebellum Architecture of Kentucky by Clay Lancaster (1991). And for some interesting column, balustrade, dormer, and staircase designs at Pleasant Hill check out Outside Sources for Shaker Building at Pleasant Hill by Mary Rae Chemotti (1981). For Shaker dwelling house architecture in general see Julie Nicoletta's article The Architecture of Control - Shaker Dwelling Houses and the Reform Movement in Early-Nineteenth-Century America.

Establishing Shawnee Run

On a site near the banks of Shawnee Run, a small communal family took shape...

In August of 1805, three Shaker missionaries to Kentucky were getting to know the northeastern portion of the state when an opportunity arose for them to preach to a group of potential converts that included three Kentucky residents - Elisha Thomas, and Samuel and Henry Banta. The Thomas and Banta families (along with the Monfort and Bruner families) were all related by marriage. Hearing their testimony, Elisha Thomas would become not only the first Shaker convert in Kentucky but instrumental in the creation of one of two Kentucky communities that would be established.

Where this meeting occurred is not clear. Sources say it happened at "Concord in Bourbon County." However, Concord, Kentucky is northeast along the Ohio River in Lewis County (which was formed in late 1806 from Mason County) and the Concord Christian Church in Bourbon County wasn't yet established. In any case, Shaker Benjamin Seth Youngs was subsequently invited to address a group in Elisha Thomas' barn at his farm along Shawnee Run in Mercer County. 

Map of the state of Kentucky with the adjoining territories, 1794

There, a large number of listeners converted, with Youngs reporting in January 1806 twenty-one "grown Believers on Shawnee Run."

In August, Elisha Thomas deeded his 140-acre farm to the Shakers and in December, forty-four men and women signed the first family covenant “dedicating themselves and their property to the material benefit" of the Society. The first permanent communal gathering of believers in Kentucky began to take shape with the name "Shawnee Run."  

A Map of the State of Kentucky by Elihu Barker, 1797

Infrequent visits by the eastern Shakers proved less than satisfactory for the new converts. Therefore, Elisha Thomas offered Elder John Meacham a horse, saddle, bridle, and spending money if he would come to live at Shawnee Run. Elder John told them if they would build a place for them to live, some among the "old believers" (those Shakers who had traveled from the east) would come. 

When the new ministry arrived (with only fifty dollars, two beds, bedding, and a few other items) a new log house was waiting for them and the center of the community had shifted to a nearby hilltop east of Elisha's original farm to the spot where today visitors can walk among the restored buildings.

Molly Goodrich and Peter Pease would become the appointed leaders for the new Kentucky societies. In the meantime some of the Shawnee Run converts were appointed by Elder Benjamin to assume certain responsibilities, with Elisha Thomas to "stand first in our absence." Isaac Dean was appointed to take charge of the farm. 

Beginning in 1809, the year Joseph Runyon became a Believer (his wife Jane/Ginney believed in February 1810), John Meacham, Samuel Turner, Lucy Smith, and Anna Cole composed the Shawnee Run ministry. As the organization of the community took place its name was changed from Shawnee Run to Pleasant Hill and the first permanent structure (the "First Stone House" - later to become the farm deacon's shop) was built to house the ministry.

By 1810, there were thirty-four Believers and "100 more not yet gathered." Joseph and Jane Runyon, with most of their children, arrived at Pleasant Hill on March 2, 1810. Three months later, their grown son Vincent arrived. Interestingly, Vincent and his sister Marcy were the first Runyon family members to sign the Church Covenant. They did so August 13, 1811. For both, this was the beginning of a life-long commitment. And for Vincent it was in celebration of his 22nd birthday which occurred August the 16th. 

The organization of the society at Pleasant Hill proceeded rapidly. To increase their land holdings, that began with the rich, fertile 140-acres given by Elisha Thomas, the trustees began purchasing adjoining acreage. 

By 1812 the East, Center, and West Families had been formed, and a fourth, the North Family, was established as a "gathering family" for prospective converts. In August of that year, Emley and Lydia Runyon arrived at Pleasant Hill with their children and during the autumn, they were joined by his parents Phineas and Charity as well as his sister Mercy Badgett and her husband John and their children. 

On December 21, 1813, Martin Runyon, his wife Patience Baxter, and their children arrived. The following spring, June 2, 1814, Martin was among those Believers of legal age to sign the covenant. In fact, one hundred twenty-eight men and women bound themselves together, establishing the community in the pattern of the Shaker Ministry at New Lebanon, New York. Included also were: Joseph Runyon, Emley Runyon, Phineas Runyon, Marcy Runyon, Charity Badgett, Vincent Runyon, William Badgett, George Runyon, John Badgett, Sr., Ginney Runyon, Sally Runyon, Lydia Runyon, Charity Runyon. 

More opportunities to sign at Pleasant Hill would come after May 1815, on June 10, 1830 and again on April 9, 1844. Many of the younger generation would make that commitment. Many would depart. But that core group who signed in 1814 did remain committed and were Believers for life.

A Village of Rare Beauty and Neatness

"Pleasant Hill is a small village of rare beauty and neatness situated on a commanding eminence about one mile from the Kentucky River, on the turnpike road from Lexington to Harrodsburg and seven miles from the latter place. It belongs exclusively to that orderly and industrious society called 'Shakers' and contained in 1870 a population of 362, divided into families from sixty to eighty each. Their main edifice is a large, handsome and costly structure built of Kentucky marble, the others, generally, are built of brick and all admirably arranged for comfort and convenience. The external and internal arrangement and neatness of their dwellings, the beauty and luxuriance of their gardens and fields, the method and economy displayed in their manufacturing and mechanical establishments, their orderly and flourishing schools, their sleek and well fed stock are all characteristic of this singular people and evidence a high degree of comfort and prosperity."

This is how, according to History of Kentucky, Vol. 5 (published 1922, Chicago) by Charles Kerr, a Kentucky historian writing circa 1870, described Pleasant Hill in his write-up of long time resident Dr. Pennebaker. Pennebaker was brought to the society as a boy by his uncle, Dr. Shain, after his parents both died within a week of each other. 

History of Kentucky expands on the description with: Outside of Mercer County this unique settlement is seldom heard of by Kentuckians, though at one time it was a thriving and prosperous community ... The first house was built in this settlement in 1805. The community supported its own flour, flax and saw mills, and was practically independent of the outside world. It was a community undertaking, and all the lands were owned and operated in common, and the products from the mills and looms were of a fine quality of wool, linen and cotton cloth. Today only a few of the old sect remain, the mills and shops having long gone to decay, though the houses of the village were built so substantially that they stand as firm as 100 years ago. 

Martha Stewart presents a short video on Pleasant Hill

Her website doesn't say when this video was produced but in less than 5 minutes, Martha Stewart gives a good overview of who the Shakers were, as she presents scenes from Pleasant Hill.

Pleasant Hill Shaker Village - MarthaStewart.com

Martha Stewart takes us to the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village near Lexington, Kentucky. The town museum's director provides some facts about this historical village.

Picturesque Scenery - an 1847 description of Pleasant Hill

Historical sketches of Kentucky: 
embracing its history, antiquities, and natural curiosities, 
geographical, statistical, and geological descriptions 
by Lewis Collins, 1847.
Online here

A Birds Eye View of Pleasant Hill in winter

This winter scene, captured by drone, was created by Chesley Olson.

January 12 - On This Date in 1817

The society was divided in two classes in their meeting in Seignor class or Order led by the Ministry and the Junior Order led by John Dunlavy. About this time John Dunlavy James Congleton Betsy McCarver and Lydia Runyon and Jimmy Congleton were set a part to take charge of young Believers that were coming to visit, and to counsel and heare openings, and to go out preaching as occasion required they lived at the Center Family Except James Congleton he lived at the East Family. In this time John Dunlavy was engaged in writeing the Manifeso.

Note: Shaker journal entries and letters have not been edited for clarity or for errors in spelling or grammar. In some cases, stories or letters have been excerpted or shortened. Information that appears within brackets has been added for clarification.

January 7th - On This Date in 1813

The North Family mov'd up to the log school house it stood about 20 rods north of the three storyed Center stone house, then occupied by the School Family, the Children having been collected there in 1811.

This Month in 1910 ...

The eleven remaining members agree to dissolve the Society at Pleasant Hill.

On This Date in 1876 ...

George [Runyon] mov'd to the West Family.


(Hortensy Hooser Journal)

Accounting Records

Income and expense analyses for the year ended March 31, 1841 shows that the Pleasant Hill Shakers made:

$124.26 on leather transactions

$1,074.07 from the sale of linseed oil

$2,177.18 from the sale of hogs

$1,570.50 from the sale of cattle

$379.00 on horse transactions

$2,468.55 from the sale of garden seeds

Revenues from the sale of leather, cattle, horses, and garden seeds were consistently good throughout the period 1830-1850. Revenues from the manufacture and sale of linseed oil were extremely good during the late 1830′s when linseed oil sold for $1.00 to $1.25 a gallon.

Income from the sale of hogs was consistently good during the period until 1848 when a prohibition against the use of hog meat was made mandatory in all Shaker communities. This prohibition eliminated one of the best sources of revenues for the Pleasant Hill Shakers [Ham, p. 189].

In 1842, the community paid out $2,162.50 for 7205/6 roods of stone fencing at $3.00 per rood. A rood is a unit of length varying locally from five and one-half to eight yards. Over twenty miles of stone fencing was constructed around Pleasant Hill over a twenty-five year period from 1826 to 1852 [Ham, p. 136].

More on Shaker Accounting Records at Pleasant Hill: 1830-1850 can be found here.