Discover & Learn

The School House, 1823/1863

The Canterbury Shakers built their first school in 1823. The original School House was a one-room, one-story building not unlike schools built elsewhere in New Hampshire at the time.

The School House was erected on the Church Family's northern agricultural fringe. This location along the cow lane proved to be a distraction to students, particularly when the community enlarged the massive barn complex to accommodate its growing livestock business. The increasing inappropriateness of the site led the Canterbury Shakers to consider a new spot for the building.

In 1862, the School House was moved less than two hundred yards south of its original location, which was just north of the arboretum. The new site was much closer to the hub of daily community activity, but separated from farm animals and agricultural pursuits. Shortly thereafter, the Shakers decided to expand. Not wanting to waste the school's new roof, they jacked the building up and built a first floor addition underneath. The entrance and stair tower were built on the east side, joining the school house to a small woodshed and privy. The outhouse was enclosed in 1985.

Inside, the Shaker school was attractive, well-lit, well-heated and ventilated, and outfitted with the latest in school equipment such as globes, maps, and books. The Shakers also incorporated a particularly progressive European concept into their educational system by using the second floor as a gymnasium. The new school met the ultimate standards of the day and for the next 60 years or so the building functioned as the leading educational institution in the town of Canterbury.

The School House is open today for guided tours.