Shaker expert to give lecture at Rochester Historical Society

Shakes seen harvesting their famous herbs (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - The Rochester Historical Society has received a grant from New Hampshire Humanities to present The Shaker Legacy by Darryl Thompson on Thursday, June 13, at 7 p.m. at the Rochester Historical Society Museum at 58 Hanson Street in downtown Rochester.
In their more than two and a half centuries of existence, members of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, commonly known as Shakers, made ingenious contributions to diverse fields: agriculture, industry, medicine, music, furniture design, women's rights, racial equality, craftsmanship, social and religious thought, and mechanical invention and improvement.

Darryl Thompson explores some of these contributions in his lecture and shares some of his personal memories of the Canterbury Shakers.
Darryl Thompson's father, Charles "Bud" Thompson, founded the museum at Canterbury Shaker Village with three Shaker sisters. Thompson lived among the Canterbury Shakers, grew up to earn a BA and MA in American history at the University of New Hampshire, and was among the consultants used by Ken Burns in his documentary film The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God.

Thompson has written articles, lectured widely, taught classes, and served as a tour guide.
This program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will follow the meeting.
New Hampshire Humanities nurtures the joy of learning and inspires community engagement by bringing life-enhancing ideas from the humanities to the people of New Hampshire. They connect people with ideas.

For more information, contact the Rochester Historical Society at 603 330-3099 or rochesterhistorical@metrocast.net.