The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, Forest and Farm in New Gloucester recently received a prestigious National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Located directly in the line of suburban sprawl in New Gloucester is Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village. Home to the world’s only active Shaker community, the 1,700-acre property is one of Maine’s most important and intact cultural landscapes. Thousands of visitors from around the globe come to the village every year to witness the historic architecture, working landscape and scenic vistas. But with only four Shakers still living in the community, the village has been working to ensure that their legacy will continue and their land will not be lost to new development.

Today, after an intensive five-year collaborative effort by the Shaker community and local, state and federal partners, this National Historic Landmark’s future is secure. The coalition successfully obtained preservation and conservation easements that protect the village’s landscape and 17 historic structures, neutralizing the threat of inappropriate development and keeping the farmland in use. More than $3 million was raised, which included more than $1 million for the establishment of three endowments for restoration and ongoing maintenance of the site.

“Thanks to the partnership efforts of all organizations involved, this historic Maine farm is now protected from ever being developed,” said Joyce Swartzendruber, state conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Maine. “Keeping this land in agriculture will help preserve its agricultural, historical and natural resources. We congratulate the Shaker Village for this great accomplishment.”