82 Shaker Rd, Harvard, MA 01451

Introducing the Harvard Shaker Meetinghouse, built in 1791, with design features and artifacts that distinguish the rare and highly cherished Shaker style craftmanship: built-in cabinetry, peg rails lining every room, and walnut markers inlaid into the floor (unique to Shaker meetinghouses) that served as guides for the elaborate synchronized group dances that were core to Shaker worship. Early Shaker architecture was notable in its day for its high ceilings, generous windows that let in beautiful light, and attention to general air circulation. The property includes a barn with electricity and running water that was constructed in the 1960s (variously home to horses, sheep, goats, alpacas, geese, ducks, and chickens), a pond, the granite ruins of a Shaker stable, and a mature fruit orchard of about twenty trees that heirloom apple varieties, pears, pawpaws, and quince. A very special property.