75th Anniversary
Events
SAVE THE DATE: Holiday Open House
December 11, 2022 | 3-5pm | Shaker Historical Society
We invite the community to conclude our 75th anniversary year with a holiday celebration at the museum! Stop by Shaker Historical Society for fiber artist Katie Mongoven’s exhibit Penumbra, live music from the women’s A Capella group "Nightingale," light refreshments, family-friendly holiday crafts, and socializing with neighbors while exploring our galleries. This event is free and open to all.
Exhibitions
The Wandering Years — March 25 - May 29, 2022
We are celebrating the Shaker Historical Society's 75th anniversary with the opening of The Wandering Years: The Early History of the Shaker Historical Society. Featuring archival materials, objects from our collection, and stories from early trustees, this exhibit will take you back in time to highlight the group of residents passionate about collecting and preserving local history through a community museum.
A Pictorial History — April 15 - September 11, 2022
Lissauer Gallery | Second Floor
Part of our 75th anniversary celebration, A Pictorial History: Photographs from the Shaker Historical Society Collection highlights photographs collected throughout our history. Visit the museum’s Lissauer Gallery to view a pictorial representation of Shaker Heights in bygone times.
Support
From our humble beginnings in Onaway School to pivoting during a pandemic, the Shaker Historical Society has served Shaker Heights and surrounding communities for 75 years with a passion for storytelling and sharing local history. Every dollar you give goes toward continuing our mission to connect our neighbors and friends to our collective past by sharing the story of Shaker Heights. Your generous donations enable us to collect, preserve, and be a leader in our community to link the past with the present to inspire the future.
In 2021, your contributions supported:
Sharing local history, stories, and art in 4 exhibitions with virtual counterparts
Two camps that welcomed 30 budding historians and archaeologists
Bike Shaker and Walk Shaker tours that explored architecture, racial history, the Moreland neighborhood, and Warrensville West Cemetery
Collaborations with over 20 local organizations and nonprofits
And more! Check out our 2021 Annual Report to learn more about our 2021 in review.
The Shaker Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 34-1048062. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Past Programs/Events
They Also Serve: The Women Who Preserved Shaker History
From Edythe Turner's Shaker collection to Elizabeth Nord's curatorial work, women played crucial roles in the founding of the Shaker Historical Society. We celebrate Women's History Month and our 75th anniversary by sharing the stories of these impassioned women dedicated to the preservation and teaching of local history to engage and inspire Shaker Heights.
This talk originally aired live on March 28, 2022.
TICKETS
Champagne Hour + Garden Party // SOLD OUT
Garden Party // $100 per ticket
Table Reservation // $1,000 per reservation (seats 8-10 Garden Party guests)
Shaker Soirée: A Celebration in the Gardens
Saturday, July 9 | 6-10pm | Shaker Historical Society
Join us for Shaker Soirée, a garden party with food, friends, libations, and live music! All guests will have full access to beer, wine, signature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts in an intimate garden setting. A pre-event champagne celebration brings you unlimited champagne, a behind-the-scenes museum tour, and garden party admission. Cocktail tables and limited seating will be available throughout the evening. This year's event will be held on Saturday, July 9, 2022 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on museum grounds. Garden party attire encouraged.
This new event is a loving homage to our former Gracious Gardens tours and a nod to the Shaker Historical Society's first planned social event, a community garden party, in 1948. Proceeds benefit the Shaker Historical Society's programs, exhibits, and collections that link the past with the present to inspire the future.
SOLD OUT // 6-7 p.m. // Champagne Hour; includes Garden Party admission, unlimited champagne, three drink tickets, live music, and optional behind-the-scenes museum tour with the Executive Director
7-10 p.m. // Garden Party; includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, desserts, two drink tickets (additional drink tickets available for purchase), and music
Horseshoe Lake History Walk
August 6, 2022 | 1-3pm | Shaker Historical Society
Join the Shaker Historical Society, Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, and Dr. Roy Larick of Bluestone Heights for a guided walk to explore the history of Horseshoe Lake from before its formation to present day. Austen Walker, SHS Digital Exhibition Assistant, will share historical facts and anecdotes gleaned from archival materials and resources. Participants will meet at the Shaker Historical Society parking lot at 1pm on Saturday, August 6. Be sure to wear sturdy footwear!
This tour is a rain or shine event and is capped at 25 participants. A $5 per person fee, payable in cash or check, will be collected on the day of the event. Participants will be required to sign a waiver or bring a signed waiver upon arrival.
Bike Shaker: Tour from the Archives
August 7, 2022 | 11am-1pm | Shaker Historical Society
The "Tour from the Archives," our August tour, is a route found in our institutional archives from when the Society hosted bus tours around the city in the 1960s and 1970s. This tour, led by experienced bicyclists, will take place Sunday, August 7 and will visit significant sites around the city. A map with historical information will also be available to download for self-guided tours after the Bike Shaker tour.
A helmet and waiver are required for each rider. Participants are welcome to tour the museum after the ride! This tour is capped at 15 participants with a minimum of 5 participants. A rain date will be set if necessary.
May We Ever Be United: Music of the North Union Shakers with Roger Lee Hall
September 8, 2022 | 7-8:30pm | Shaker Heights Public Library
Take a journey back in time to when the original Shakers settled in this area which later became Shaker Heights. They had their first public meeting in September of 1822 and established their community which they called North Union. Two hundred years later, you are invited to learn about these early Shakers and their music with messages of unity and hope and to enjoy some singing of Shaker tunes. One of their members, Philander Curtis Cramer, expressed it with these opening words: “May we ever be united, with this little happy band, Who are trav'ling unto Zion, all united heart and hand.”
Join us at the Shaker Heights Public Library on Thursday, September 8 at 7pm to learn about the music of these North Union Shakers “all united heart and hand.” This program is presented in partnership with the Shaker Heights Public Library with support from Friends of the Shaker Library.
About the Speaker: Roger Lee Hall is a music preservationist now living in Massachusetts and currently Director of the Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP). He has researched and written about Shaker music for 50 years. He has compiled 20 collections and also produced these CDs with Shaker music: "Celestial Praises," "Gentle Words" and "My Shaker Home." His Ph.D dissertation at Case Western Reserve University in the 1970s was on North Union Shaker music and was later published by PineTree Press. For his work in preserving American music he has been listed in Who's Who in America.
Bike Shaker: North Union Shakers
September 11, 2022 | 11am-1pm | Shaker Historical Society
In 2022, we are honoring the 200th anniversary of the North Union Shaker Village! The North Union Shakers ride, our July tour, is a great introduction to the Shaker religious sect and North Union Community. This tour, led by experienced bicyclists, will take place September 11 and will visit significant sites around the city.
A helmet and waiver are required for each rider. Participants are welcome to tour the museum after the ride! This tour is capped at 15 participants with a minimum of 5 participants.
Applefest
October 1, 2022 | 12-4pm | Shaker Historical Society
Come celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Shaker Historical Society and the 200th Anniversary of the North Union Shakers at Applefest! Applefest is a historic event for SHS, held annually from 1989-1998.
This year’s fall, family-friendly event will be held on Saturday, October 1st from 12 pm to 4pm. All ages are welcome to attend!
Applefest will feature crafts and educational activities for kids, craft demonstrations from local artists, an animal presentation from the North Chagrin Nature Center, Shaker Dance performances, a history tour, food and fall-themed drinks, and more!