Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

While visiting Shaker Village last weekend for the annual Blessing of the Hounds, we met a few of the village’s other farmyard residents … and took several long walks through the village and the surrounding fields and meadows. If you’re a fan of history; Shaker trades and crafts; nineteenth-century farming; quiet, truly beautiful, and well-marked walking and hiking trails; or even just really good food, I highly recommend a visit to Shaker Village if/when you’re next in or near Lexington. You can also read about the main road through the village in this blog post from back in September.

: the Heritage Trail as it leaves the village and heads out into the countryside

a cart in front of a dry-stone fence (there seem to be miles of these handmade fences on the 3,000 acres owned by Shaker Village)

one of several adorable donkeys in a large paddock with a bunch of (hungry!) sheep

these hungry sheep kept eating and eating and eating; this round bale was completely destroyed (having been eaten and trampled) in the 24 or so hours we were there

... but this little ram posed very politely for a portrait

at the other end of the village, this goat and others were anxiously awaiting dinner

a team of oxen

this beautiful Highland bull is in a big paddock by the pedestrian entrance to the village

this silly fox hound escaped from the pack during the Blessing of the Hounds and paid a visit to the Highland bull (photo by A.J. Singleton)

and, finally, a pair of driving horses who pull a wagon / trolley through the village (photo by A.J. Singleton)

Now that we’ve taken a look back, over the past two days, at several old coaches attending race meets and hunts, how about a few more modern photos?

Last weekend, A.J. and my parents and I (and a whole bunch of other people, including the governor, apparently) enjoyed the nostalgic and happy spectacle that was the Blessing of the Hounds and opening meet for the Woodford Hounds.

The weather was glorious and the event took place right in the middle of the main “street” that passes through historic Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. The Woodford Hounds kennel is located at the back of the 3,000-acre property owned by Shaker Village, and so the day’s opening hunt took the hounds and the horses / ponies and riders across fields and meadows and over hills and dry-stone fences.

Here are a few of our photos from the day, all shown in about the order we took them, so you can get an idea of the progression of things. (I’ve marked A.J.’s photos as his but, as usual, any “unmarked” photos are mine.)

(photo by A.J. Singleton)

see all those hounds on the steps in the previous photo? Shaker Village costumed interpreters stood guard at each door to try to keep the hounds from running inside; this hound's plans to go in the building were thwarted but she got some lovin' instead