Restoring Shakertown: The Struggle to Save the Historic Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill.
University Press of Kentucky, 2005.

"Thomas Parrish's book is not only an objective revelation of the struggle to restore Pleasant Hill Village. It is a handbook to be read carefully by all dreamers across the land who set out to reclaim the past by resurrecting its monuments. "   — Thomas D. Clark, from the foreword

Founded in 1806, Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, was a thriving community located in the center of the bluegrass region. After the Civil War, a steadily shrinking membership resulted in the gradual decline of this remarkable community, and the last remaining Shaker to reside at Pleasant Hill died in 1923. In the years immediately following, it appeared as though the village would fall prey to neglect and a lack of historic preservation.

In 1961, however, local citizens formed a private not-for-profit organization to preserve and restore the village and to interpret the rich heritage of the Pleasant Hill Shakers for future generations. Over several years, and against incredible odds, this group succeeded in raising the funds necessary for the restoration projects. By 1968, eight buildings at Shakertown, carefully adapted for modern use while retaining their historical and architectural significance, had been opened to the public.

Thomas Parrish's Restoring Shakertown masterfully explains how the Shaker settlement was saved from the ravages of time and transformed into a nationally renowned landmark of historic preservation. In chronicling how the hopes of the early fund-raisers were quickly challenged by the harsh reality of economic hardships, the book serves as a valuable study in modern philanthropy. Parrish also details how the village negotiated legal challenges and how its final plans for creating awareness of the Shakers' legacy set the standard for later museum developments around the country.

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