Vandals damaged a hayfield sometime late Thursday night or Friday morning at the Sabbathday Village Shaker Farm in New Gloucester.
A post on the Shaker’s Facebook page included photos of deep tire tracks left in the field.
“Authorities were contacted, but unfortunately very little can be done unless the perpetrators are caught,” the post read. “Repairs are extensive and will have to be done by hand.”
The village – the only remaining Shaker community – is home to a working farm that produces more than 50 tons of hay, which is used to feed sheep and cattle.
Maine was once home to three Shaker communities – in Gorham, Alfred and at Sabbathday Lake – but the New Gloucester village is all that remains. The 1,700-acre property is home to 17 historic homesteads, but the number of Shakers who actually call it home has dwindled sharply in recent years. Last year, one of the three remaining in Maine, Sister Frances Carr, died.
A decade ago, a bypass was built on Route 26 that diverted traffic around the property, which includes a museum and library.
The post on the Shaker’s Facebook page had more than 200 comments by Saturday afternoon, including many from people who said they would be willing to help with repairs.
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