������������

Established in 1783, this 3000-acre Shaker village was the third of 19 between New England and the Mississippi River. The village was modeled after the Shaker community in Mount Lebanon, New York, where residents were divided into family units with gardens, a dwelling, a meetinghouse, and ancillary structures. Hancock encompassed six units, arranged on north-south and east-west axes, and around 1840 it housed 300 people. By 1960 the population was greatly diminished and much of the property sold. Its remaining 1000 acres and 20 extant buildings were purchased by Hancock Shaker Village, Inc., which restored the historic struct