Upcoming events
The public is welcome to attend all events.
The public is welcome to attend all events.
February 18, 2020 at 7pm - A Canterbury Shaker Village Presentation by speaker Rebecca Soules
Join us on Tuesday, February 18th at 7:00pm at the Auburn Historical Association for a free presentation and slide show of the life of the Canterbury Shakers. The speaker will be Rebecca Soules, an "Interpretation Manager" at Canterbury Shaker Village. The meeting will be held in the Meeting Room (back of the building).
The Shakers were a religious group that started in England in the 1700s and later migrated to the U.S. during the American Revolution. In America, they became a successful Utopian society with communities from Maine to Kentucky.
The Shakers were pacifists and celibate. They increased their membership by taking in orphans - educating them, teaching them a trade, and then allowing them as young adults to join the Order or leave for the "outside" world.
The Shaker community at Canterbury, NH was at its zenith in 1850. It consisted of 300 members living on 3000 acres and utilizing over 100 buildings. They embraced technology.
It is said that a Shaker Eldress conceived the idea for the circular saw blade. The Up-and-Down sawmill was like a hand saw, it only cut on the down stroke. On the other hand, the spinning wheel worked continually. If cutting teeth could be put into a round metal disc, sawmill productivity would be greatly enhanced. The Shakers obtained patents and were early advocates of electricity, phone communication and automobiles.
Unfortunately for the Shakers, the industrialization and urbanization of America drew away too many of their young people. The Shaker communities began a century long decline and for all practical purposes, were extinct by 1950.
Please join us to learn more about out neighbors from Canterbury, N.H. Hope to see you there!
Auburn Historical Association's Business meetings are held at the
AHA museum building in the meeting-room, 102 Hooksett Road, Auburn, NH. We are always looking for volunteers! Please contact us at info@auburnhistorical.org if you are interested in attending our next meeting.
AHA museum building in the meeting-room, 102 Hooksett Road, Auburn, NH. We are always looking for volunteers! Please contact us at info@auburnhistorical.org if you are interested in attending our next meeting.