Discover & Learn

The Laundry, 1795/1907

The Laundry is important to the development of the Shaker textile and weaving industry, in addition to the laundering of residents' clothing and other household items. When the Laundry was built in 1795, clothing was hung outside to dry. The unpredictability of New England weather and the growth of the community necessitated a remodeling in 1854, which enabled washing to be done on a predictable schedule. A steam-drying room was installed which featured movable drying racks that economized space. In 1907, a blower was put in the attic to force air upward from the steam-powered engines in the room below, through the hanging laundry, and then out the ceiling and roof.

The sweater industry was located on the second floor. Following the Civil War, specialty knitwear products were developed and successfully marketed by the Shaker sisters, often with little assistance from the brothers. Two types of sweaters were produced at Canterbury: a turtleneck pullover used as a letter sweater for Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard and Princeton; and a jacket or coat sweater manufactured for popular use. In 1910 alone, 1,489 sweaters were produced by Canterbury Shaker sisters. In 1917, Jordan Marsh, a Boston-based department store, commissioned knitted scarves, shawls and kimonos from the Shakers.

The vast laundry complex, after many years of modifications, has now been renovated, and much of its original equipment is still intact.

Today the building is open for guided tours.