Hancock Shaker Village brings the Shaker story to life and preserves it for future generations. This is a place not only to preserve the Shakers’ story, but to find meaning in the Shakers’ beliefs and culture for our time. Hancock Shaker Village is a center for reflection on living a principled life in the 21st century. The Shakers, at their essence, are ordinary people who made an extraordinary choice to gather together in community in order to live a principled life. The values that the Shakers embraced—equality, nonviolence, community, sustainability, responsible land stewardship, innovation, simplicity, embodiment of a spiritual ideal, and quality in work - resonate for us today. We strive, in our programs and in our business practices to reflect these values. We utilize our site and our collections to help the public engage with contemporary thinking on these principles while learning about historical Shaker expression of these principles in their work, worship and community. The Village today consists of 20 historic buildings set amongst farm, field, meadow and woodland, and a collection of 22,200 objects. Each year visitors from around the world come to the Village to experience the City of Peace, participate in programs, view the Village's premier collection, and learn about Shaker life. The high quality of museum standards maintained by the Village is evidenced through its accreditation by the American Association of Museums. The Village is rated three stars by the Michelin Guide, a consistent Editor's Pick by Yankee Magazine's Travel Guide to New England, an AAA Gem, and has been selected as "Best of the Road" by Rand McNally. Hancock Shaker Village was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1968.