Mary Settles: The Last Shaker at Pleasant Hill 1836-1923: A Kentucky Chautauqua

When the first Shakers arrived in Kentucky, they built their village at Pleasant Hill on the western frontier, where they lived a privileged, communal life as educated artisans with their "hands to work and hearts to God."

The Shakers empowered women and freed formerly-enslaved people and served as an army of peacemakers during the Civil War. Within months of her arrival at Pleasant Hill, Mary Settles worked together with her Shaker sisters and brothers to provide the "simple gifts" of food and medical care to the armies of both the North and South.

The last Shaker to live at Pleasant Hill, Mary Settles served as an elder, deacon, and teacher of women, maintaining the highest educational standards for the public school at Pleasant Hill.

The story of this revolutionary Kentuckian affirms our Nation's courageous history of active resistance in the fight for civil rights and offers a vision of social justice for our future.

For fans of Kentucky history, Shaker Village, and the movie The Testament of Ann Lee.

Kentucky Chautauqua is made possible by the Kentucky Humanities Council.

Free and open to the public. Registration suggested.