Shirley Shaker Village
Also known as: Massachusetts Correctional Institution, Shirley
Why it's listed
Shirley Shaker Village occupies land on both sides of Harvard Road in Shirley and northern Lancaster, Massachusetts. The Shaker community began there in 1793 on land given by four local citizens. Forty-four adult members signed the Shirley Covenant in 1797, and by 1853 about 150 people lived in the village, organized into North, Church and South Families. Applesauce was the main industry, alongside broom-making, mops, jellies, herbs and garden seed. The society dissolved in 1908, and the Commonwealth bought the property for an Industrial School for Boys, which moved and altered several buildings. Nineteen buildings remain in the district, fourteen from the original village of twenty-six structures. They include brick and clapboard buildings, among them the Administration Building, the North Family Office and the North Family Farmhouse. The village is valued as a surviving example of New England Shaker settlement, and it is now part of a state correctional complex.
Significance in brief: The district is significant as one of the surviving New England settlements of the Shaker faith. The community began in 1793 on land donated by four local citizens and grew to about 150 residents by 1853. It was dissolved in 1908, and the state then used the site as an Industrial School for Boys.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 76000271, listed May 24, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S of Shirley on Harvard Rd., Shirley |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | May 24, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76000271 |
| Resource type | District |
| Areas of significance | European, Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Four buildings (#12, #11, #5 and #4) serve as residences for correctional personnel; the other Shaker buildings are unoccupied. The district is used as a pre-release correctional facility, and the Department of Correction hopes to restore the buildings. |
| Acreage | 11 |
| Coordinates | 42.52454, -71.65171 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 76000271.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7498844
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.