American Ghosts

Apr 28, 2008 11:00 AM Filed in: On The Road
ShakerGhostStories
This coming fall I will be attending a birthday party with a number of very jolly folk all of whom love the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The party itself is sure to be a wonderful experience, and I'm really looking forward to it. But I'm also looking forward to visiting the venue, Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. It's a lovingly restored authentic Shaker settlement, and it serves today as a living museum, a piece of American history that you can walk into, experience, and become a part of. It looks wonderful. And it's haunted. Seriously.

Thomas Freese's book is an account of true experiences of both visitors and employees of Shakertown. Some of the experiences reported include hearing mysterious singing and sometimes hearing ghostly footsteps. There are reported appearances and disappearances of period looking strangers on the grounds, as well as the occassional sights and sounds of ghostly work and worshipping.
ShakerVillageMap
And there are even various reports of experiencing invisible helping hands. Sound interesting? Well, the shaker village has such a widely accepted reputation for such experiences with both the employees at the village and the local residents that apparently the village visitor center even has a guestbook where visitors can log any ghostly experiences they've had while visiting the site. The village has existed for some 200 years. Perhaps a few of its "residents" have celebrated quite a few birthdays of their own? Well, I for one am truly looking forward to spending a few days at Shaker Village. I'll be staying on the grounds and sleeping on the top floor of the East Family Dwelling. I'll let you know if I hear anything go bump in the night.
HobbitWindow