Day 30: Simple Gifts

We covered a lot of ground today, and not just in mileage. Our stops included a village built by a now-defunct religious order, two frontier forts and the site of an old bridge. First, the village of Pleasant Hill, built in the early 1800s by a group known as Shakers. Established in England, they broke away from the Church of England in response to its doctrine. Following the group's American beginnings in upstate New York, the order spread west, eventually buidling two large villages in Kentucky. At the Pleasant Hill site, the Meeting Hall and Family House provide a glimpse into the rather strange lifestyle of this group. All members were celibate, and men and women lived in separate quarters. Growth in numbers happened only by recruits, and married couples that were drawn into the order were issued annulments. Children were raised in a separate living area so that their "former" parents could focus on their faith without distraction. The name Shakers was given to them because of their worship style...they believed in Spirit-led expression and would often dance or "shake" to express their desire to shake off their old ways. They also were prolific in their songwriting (more than 20,000!); the most well-known is "Simple Gifts," which begins "Tis the gift to be simple, tis the gift to be free..." We enjoyed their music but found it hard to believe that the Shakers grew to a community of over 500 just in Pleasant Hill! As recruitments declined, the order eventually disappeared.

We ate our picnic lunch a few miles south of Pleasant Hill in the shadow of Fort Harrodsburg, the oldest permanent settlement west of the Allegheny mountains. The recreated fort provides a glimpse of life on the frontier and is a living history museum, with interpretters demonstrating the various tasks necessary for life in the early years of Kentucky. Also on the site is the Lincoln Wedding Temple...a church-like structure that contains the intact cabin in which Abraham Lincoln's parents were married.

Another hour on the road brought us to Fort Boonesborough, established by Daniel Boone following his push through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky in the 1700s. The fort, like the one in Harrodsburg, is a living history site, and we learned about soap-making and weaving, among other things, as we wandered through its various structures. I won't repeat what we've learned about Daniel Boone; if you're suffering from insomnia some night, go to Day 9. :-)

My uncle came with us today and showed us some of my family's roots in the Richmond area; the homes in which my granny was raised and married, and the home in which her father was born during the Civil War. That particular house and the adjacent remains of a long-gone bridge have special significance in the family lore: My great, great grandfather (a Confederate soldier although never a slave holder) snuck home--the area was held by Union forces--to see his family, including a newborn son. Union soldiers in the area heard about his presence and raided the home. He escaped through a back window and hid on the support trusses of the nearby bridge. His pursuers never found him, and he returned to his unit in Monticello, Kentucky. When he lay dying of meningitis just 3 months later, his wife (my great, great grandmother) received special permission to visit him across the line of the war. Sadly, he died before she reached him, her children and infant son in tow. That baby was my great grandfather.

Many generations later, my cousin David and I spent the evening meeting each other's families. His wife and young son are a delight. We're so grateful for the opportunities this trip is providing to reconnect with family.

one of the simple dormitory rooms in a Shaker house

cabin in which Abe Lincoln's parents were married

With Unc at Fort Boonesborough

inside the fort

birthplace of my great grandfather, outside Richmond, Ky.

With David, Alyssa and Jackson at a UK pizza joint in Lexington