S. 2801 — Canterbury Shaker Village National Heritage Area Study Authorization Act

This section declares congressional findings on the historical significance of Canterbury Shaker Village, established in 1792 as the home of the Central Ministry of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing (i.e., Shakers)—the longest-lived 19th-century utopian community in the U.S.—which became a nonprofit museum in 1969 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992. The findings describe the site's 700 acres, 25 buildings, archaeological resources, and cultural legacy stemming from the Second Great Awakening, Shaker practices of communalism, celibacy, gender equality, pacifism, and invention, and extensive scholarly documentation.

This section defines key terms used in the Act, including “Secretary” (i.e., Secretary of the Interior), “State” (i.e., State of New Hampshire), and “study area” (i.e., geographic boundaries of the Canterbury Shaker Village National Historic Landmark in Merrimack County, New Hampshire).

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with state and local historic preservation officers, historical societies, tourism offices, and other relevant entities, to conduct a study assessing the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as the Canterbury Shaker Village National Heritage Area. (As background, National Heritage Areas are congressionally designated regions where federal, state, tribal, local, and private partners collaborate to preserve shared cultural heritage and promote tourism, education, and economic development without federal land acquisition.)