Discover & Learn

The Horse Barn, 1819

In 1819, the Shakers constructed a Horse Barn on the west side of Shaker Road. It measured 60x40 feet and was built on the site of an earlier (1798) horse barn. An addition measuring 49x27 feet was built on the northeast corner in 1824, and it was remodeled again in 1880, 1901, and 1927.

Built to house the Trustees' horses, this building was also used to accommodate the horses that brought visitors to the Village to conduct business with the Shakers.

In 1991 the museum remodeled the horse barn to its 1901 appearance. It is currently open to the public and houses the Shaker Box Lunch & Farmstand.

Source: David R. Starbuck, Neither Plain Nor Simple: New Perspectives on the Canterbury Shakers