South Union Shaker Center House and Preservatory is a historic

Shaker Shaker or Shakers may refer to: Religious groups * Shakers, a historically significant Christian sect * Indian Shakers, a smaller Christian denomination Objects and instruments * Shaker (musical instrument), an indirect struck idiophone * Cock ...

building on U.S. 68 in

South Union, Kentucky South Union is an unincorporated community located in Logan County, Kentucky, United States. History A large share of South Union's original inhabitants were Shakers. Their South Union village was established in 1807 and lasted until 1922. Durin ...

. It was built in 1822 and added to the National Register in 1974. Located within the building is the

Shaker Museum at South Union The Shaker Museum at South Union is a museum of Shaker history located at the site of the South Union Shaker Village in Auburn, Kentucky, United States. The village was established by the Shakers in 1807 and closed in 1922. The museum is located ...

. South Union was one of 24 villages built up by the Shakers. During the village's 115-year history, the Shakers constructed over 200 buildings, worked of farmland, and produced garden seed, fruit preserves, brooms, baskets, rugs, linen, hats, bonnets and silk to be used both within the community and sold to the outside world. One of the best known Shaker songs today, "Love is little," originated at South Union during the 1830s. The Shaker community there was disbanded in 1922, and the property sold to the

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

in 1949. There, they established an interracial

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, the first of its kind in the United States. As of 2010, there was only one Shaker community remaining active, the

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village is a Shaker village near New Gloucester and Poland, Maine, in the United States. It is the last active Shaker community, with two members . With a new member, it had expanded to three members by 2021. The community ...

located at Sabbathday Lake,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

.The last of the Shakers
Busted Halo, April 13, 2010

References

External links

Federal architecture in Kentucky Churches completed in 1822 Churches in Logan County, Kentucky Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Shaker communities or museums National Register of Historic Places in Logan County, Kentucky 1822 establishments in Kentucky {{Kentucky-church-stub