| « Previous | Home | Next » | Shaker Barn Overview Tuesday, June 26, 2007 |
 So here's the story we were told about the round barn. Apparently Shakers believed that to best honor God they needed to live the 'right' way...this concept of 'rightness' extended to geometry as well as morality. Thus we find Shaker communities often laid out according to the cardinal directions (East Family, South Family, etc.) and architecture is most always pretty rectangular. Now another concept important to them was a belief that they should do their work in the most efficient way possible, also as a means of honoring God. So when the brethren at Hancock, Massachusetts suggested the round barn to the elders, it presented a dilemma. It was not 'right,' but it did offer a truly efficient way of managing their dairy cattle and for milking and feeding. Built in 1826, this is a truly beautiful structure. And the iconic symbol of the Shaker Village. | |
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Posted by forgingahead Archived under: Architecture, History, Places |
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