In 1842 all the Shaker communities received directions from the central ministry to pick a spot for outdoor worship on a high elevation. The spot in Harvard was given a special name: the Holy Hill of Zion. Holy Hill was within easy walking distance of both the Church and South families. The Church Family planted the road to Holy Hill with sugar maples and the South Family made a cart road. They cleared the hill, leveled a half-acre plot, enclosed the plot with a fence, and provided outdoor seating. The fence surrounded a hexagonal area in the center, called the fountain. They also erected a marble slab with inscriptions on the site. When the order was given in 1853 to end the outdoor worship, each community hid or destroyed its stone. The whereabouts of the Harvard Stone is unknown.
Meetings on Holy Hill were held on the Sabbath and during the week, but were closed to the public. They included dancing, symbolic bathing in the fountain, and feasting on spiritual food.
In 1972 Harvard residents created the Shaker Village Historic District. The Conservation Commission, aided by state and federal funding, saved the Holy Hill of Zion from development by purchasing 103 acres, including the Holy Hill and Maple Lane. The “dancing ground” was cleared and a reproduction fence was built. (Note the use of metal to anchor the fence,
preventing rot.)
When the site was dedicated on May 21, 1976, Eldresses Bertha Lindsey and Gertrude Soule of Canterbury, New Hampshire, attended the ceremonies. Thunder and lightning during the ceremony seemed appropriate to
the occasion.
See this video for a more detailed description of the reason for and use of the Holy Hill worship area.
Meetings on Holy Hill were held on the Sabbath and during the week, but were closed to the public. They included dancing, symbolic bathing in the fountain, and feasting on spiritual food.
In 1972 Harvard residents created the Shaker Village Historic District. The Conservation Commission, aided by state and federal funding, saved the Holy Hill of Zion from development by purchasing 103 acres, including the Holy Hill and Maple Lane. The “dancing ground” was cleared and a reproduction fence was built. (Note the use of metal to anchor the fence,
preventing rot.)
When the site was dedicated on May 21, 1976, Eldresses Bertha Lindsey and Gertrude Soule of Canterbury, New Hampshire, attended the ceremonies. Thunder and lightning during the ceremony seemed appropriate to
the occasion.
See this video for a more detailed description of the reason for and use of the Holy Hill worship area.
