Marker, Site

Description

Marble slab with polished surfaces; incomplete. The complete text originally read: "[THE LORD'S STONE / Written and placed here in "Pleasant Grove" by command of] our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Erected June 24, 1848 / Engraven at Canterbury, N.H." and on the reverse, "[WORD OF THE LORD / Behold, I am the true and living God, and in my infinite Wisdom, do command my people to worship none but me. Here I have placed a Fountain of the Water of Life, and no souls hall come within the bounds of this Fountain, or pollute this MY WORD, with unclean hands or an impure heart, but shall feel my heavy judgments, either in this world or in my Eternity. From this Holy Place my] goodness shall spread, and my word of power shall go forth, from East to West, from North to South, and many poor souls shall gather unto my Spirit, and be strengthened by my hand of charity and love. But a heavy curse shall meet the rebel who dares presume to destroy the word of my mouth, which I have caused to be here engraven, or that will injure this my holy ground, which I have commanded my people to dedicate solely to ME. For I am JEHOVAH, and before ME and my holy Anointed, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that I AM dwelleth in my Zion, in the midst of my people; and I will bless, protect and prosper them forever and ever. AMEN."

Notes

When the Shakers gave the fountain stone from "Pleasant Grove" to the museum in 1953, Eldress Emma B. King wrote to John S. Williams, Sr., "I and we very much appreciate your sentiment and appreciation of the sacred and devotional use to which the Fountain Stone was formerly dedicated during an era of Spiritualism...." (Museum correspondence, Shaker Museum and Library, Old Chatham). In addition to donating this stone, she prepared an essay, "The Shaker Sacred Stone," describing the establishment of feast grounds, sacred outdoor spaces for worship, and the history of this stone. According to Eldress Emma, the site of the feast ground of Canterbury, NH, called Pleasant Grove, was selected in October of 1842. Shakers worked to clear the space, enclosed it with a fence, and erected a small building to accommodate worshipers in inclement weather. Then, according to the eldress, "In the center of Pleasant Grove was placed a beautiful Italian marble slab. This was carefully inserted in the bed stone which had been mortised and weighed not less than a ton and then fastened with melted brimstone. “This marble stone was purchased in March 1847 and Elder Joseph Myrick of Harvard, Mass., was invited to come to Canterbury and give some instruction about the polishing and lettering of the stone….. The polishing was done with a Scotch stone, heavily weighted, and attached to a long pole which Elder Joseph and Henry C. Blinn, at the time only twenty-two, pushed on to the surface of the marble for hours. Elder Joseph began the work of lettering but after a few days left it in the charge of the younger brother to finish. “Around the central stone was another enclosure, about ten feet long and five feet wide, which was protected by a very pretty diminutive fence made of cedar and painted white. The tops of the posts were not more than one foot from the ground. This was called ‘the Fountain’ and was symbolic. Close to the sun and the trees and the flowers it is not hard to realize the ever-rising, pulsating power of the spiritual life in God. In this Power desires of the spirit were awakened, a cleansing resolve comes to lay down the sensuous, material satisfactions for the permanent joy and strength and happiness of communion with Him who is Life and Love, Wisdom and Light. The sparkle of Inspiration, the fullness of His Constant Giving are all symbolized by the Fountain.” The first meeting was held at Pleasant Grove on October 15, 1843, and the site was used until 1860. See also this blog post that discusses the feast grounds and fountain stones: https://shakerml.wordpress.com/2016/08/31/a-mysterious-chip-off-the-old-block/