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News Release

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill will open a new exhibit, Searching for Sister Mary, with a grand opening event on Friday, March 24 followed by a day of special tours and lectures on Saturday, March 25. The exhibit, launching during Women’s History Month, takes a look into the life of Sister Mary Settles, a Kentucky Shaker well ahead of her time.

Settles passed away 100 years ago this month and is famously remembered as the last Shaker at the Pleasant Hill community, but the exhibit reveals that she was so much more than that. The exhibit looks at her life in six parts:

• A Shaker – During the 64 years she was a Believer, she watched her faith community undergo dramatic changes.

• A Mother – The Shakers were a celibate society, but Settles had two children before becoming a Shaker.

• A Teacher – Settles was an educator during her time at Pleasant Hill.

• A Leader – Women held leadership roles in Shaker society and Settles served as an “office sister” managing some of the community’s business affairs.

• A Modern Woman – Settles entered  raffles to win automobiles, wore fashion forward attire and was the only female at Pleasant Hill who voted in a presidential election.

• A Celebrity – Settles was a local celebrity and was known in the last years of her life as the most photographed woman in Kentucky.

Settles’ story will resonate with women today. According to Curator of Collections Rebecca Soules, “Sister Mary’s primary role in the community and identity as an individual changed over time – she wasn’t defined by one specific aspect of her life. For women who are mothers, the exhibit might also have a bitter sweet quality because Sister Mary ended up choosing the security and permanence  of her Shaker community even though that meant giving up some of her connection to her children.”

The exhibit grand opening event will be held in the Centre Family Dwelling on Friday, March 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy exclusive tours, appetizers and a cash bar. Shaker scholars Dr. Carol Medlicott and Christian Goodwillie will be in attendance signing copies of their new book This Chosen Pleasant Hill: Shakers of the Kentucky Bluegrass. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at shakervillageky.org/events for $15.

Special tours and lectures that take a deep dive into Settles life will be available on Saturday, March 25 from 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. with the purchase of a daily admission ticket, free-$14. The authors of “This Chosen Pleasant Hill: Shakers of the Kentucky Bluegrass” will lead a walking tour sharing their favorite stories and themes from their book, and will lead a lecture in the 1820 Meeting House. A Sister Mary Settles themed scavenger hunt will also be setup throughout the Village.