The Shaker Historic Trail was produced by the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places and Northeast Regional Office, in conjunction with the Shaker communities and museums of the east coast and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO). It was created under the direction of Carol D. Shull, Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, Patrick Andrus, Heritage Tourism Manager, and Beth L. Savage, Publications Managing Editor. The Shaker Historic Trail is based on The Shaker Historic Trail, a previously published brochure, as well as information in the files of the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks collections. These materials are kept at 1201 Eye St., Washington, D.C., and are open to the public from 8:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday (although the collection is currently closed, click here for more information).

The 2001 brochure, The Shaker Historic Trail, was published by the National Park Service's Northeast Regional Office, guided by Lisa Kolakowski Smith, funded in part by the Challenge Cost Share Program, and designed by Think Design, Bedford, New Hampshire. Scott Swank, President of Canterbury Shaker Village, was instrumental in this brochure's production, and granted permission for the use of many of the photographs within the Shaker Historic Trail travel itinerary. The Massachusetts Historical Commission also contributed photographs. National Register web production team members included Jeff Joeckel, who designed the itinerary, Rustin Quaide, and Shannon Bell (all of NCSHPO). Property descriptions were written by Mike Chin, Student Conservation Association intern, and contextual essays were written by Rustin Quaide and Heather Cushman (The Shakers), Rustin Quaide (Utopias in American), and Shannon Bell (Shaker Style).