Discover & Learn

The Woodshed, 1861

The Shakers built the East Woodshed in 1861, just south of the Cow Barn. It is of post and beam construction and is sheathed in vertical boards. Three open bays originally alternated with four closed bays.

This structure held just a fraction of the wood needed to heat the existing buildings throughout the winter. At one point, 400 cords of wood were cut and split per season. The Shakers spent long days throughout late summer and fall cutting, splitting and stacking firewood.

The barn fire in 1973 destroyed a companion structure, the West Woodshed.

Today this structure is still in use for the storage of wood.