My father used to drag me along to historical villages as a child. Our family would spend hours , sometimes a whole day , going on tours, talking to re-enactors, and trying to keep me and my brother from scurrying underneath the velvet roped stanchions. What child doesnt like to play on furniture?To be honest, I dreaded these excursions. I mean it was fun to walk through the towns, but besides the rare occasion when our tour guide would tell us a ghost story, these trips were a drag as a six-year-old. My siblings and I would beg my mom to take us to the horses. However, I still vividly recall my father almost being in a trance in these homes. I would sneak up on him staring at a line of wooden pegs on a wall, or reaching out his hand to grace the top of a long bench in an empty hallway. Then he would slip out his trusty Minolta camera and take several photographs of a staircase. I thought he was crazy.
It wasnt until I came to work at that I finally realized what my father was doing during all those trips to Pleasant Hill. I now have a greater appreciation for the Shaker Village’s simple, effective designs.
As I was digitizing back-issues of Digital Download, I came upon our special issue 12 Shaker Projects. Although I could have continued to code the issue quickly for my readers, I took the time to admire the beauty of these furniture pieces. Not only do they look gorgeous, they are extremely functional (our staff meets around a Trestle Table to start each week).
Also, if you would like more of a historical background of Shaker furniture designs, be sure to grab a copy of the book Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture by Kerry Pierce.
As a bonus, you can download the project plan for the Shaker Blanket Chest by Glen D. Huey by clicking here.
