Photos and text by Meredith Marcinkewicz
Eleven buildings constructed for the Shirley Shaker Community between 1793 and 1908 remain on the property of the Massachusetts Corrections Facility on Harvard Road in Shirley. Sunday October 11th will be the last 2026 guided tour of the site by the Shirley Historical Society.
Escorted by a DOC Corrections Officer, visitors meet inside a Shaker building at 12:30 where they hear an introductory talk about the life of the Shakers and the history of the Shirley community. Then they drive and walk around the property and go inside two other Shaker buildings.
Reservations MUST be made in advance and $20 per person paid to the Shirley Historical Society either by check or by charge at www.shirleyhistory.org. Questions can be answered by contacting mail@shirleyhistory.org.
The attached photo shows the Shaker Boys House. The roof is failing and the structure can no longer be entered. Those who want to see the remaining Shaker buildings need to do that before they worsen.