Shaker Ghost Stories from Pleasant Hill

Some of those who work or visit there have discovered that some Shaker spirits have perhaps returned to Pleasant Hill. The collection of odd occurrences reported in Shaker Ghost Stories include mysterious singing, phantom footsteps, appearances and disappearances of Shaker-looking people, invisible helping hands, and the sights and sounds of work and worship continuing at odd hours. The Shaker spirits seem to act much in character with their original dispositions demonstrating faith, fervor, and a guardianship of their homes and land.

Traveling East in 1990, Thomas Freese visited friends, looking to relocate from New Mexico. Thomas was intrigued by Shakertown and the lives and accomplishments of the Shakers. He moved to Lexington the following year, and in 1996 became one of the Pleasant Hill Singers. While learning and performing Shaker music, he heard his new friends often speak of their Shaker experiences, occasional and unusual happenings. Boosted by their encouragement, he spent the summer of 1998 taking notes and collecting accounts of the Shaker Ghost Stories.

Shaker Ghost Stories is a collection of true experiences from the visitors to and employees at Shakertown, Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. Pleasant Hill has been 200 years in existence, and is one of the restored Shaker villages in the Eastern United States. The Shakers, or United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, worked diligently to create a Zion, or heaven on earth. Their founder, Mother Ann, encouraged them to put their hands to work and hearts to God. While the Pleasant Hill Shakers have passed on, their legacy of spiritual devotion and material prosperity remains. The Shaker village is a peaceful place to visit and learn about Shaker life, to enjoy singing and overnight stays. Those who come find a spiritual touchstone in walking the land, hearing Shaker music, and marveling at their craftsmanship.

Some of those who work or visit there have discovered that some Shaker spirits have perhaps returned to Pleasant Hill. The collection of odd occurrences reported in Shaker Ghost Stories include mysterious singing, phantom footsteps, appearances and disappearances of Shaker-looking people, invisible helping hands, and the sights and sounds of work and worship continuing at odd hours. The Shaker spirits seem to act much in character with their original dispositions demonstrating faith, fervor, and a guardianship of their homes and land.

Traveling East in 1990, Thomas Freese visited friends, looking to relocate from New Mexico. Thomas was intrigued by Shakertown and the lives and accomplishments of the Shakers. He moved to Lexington the following year, and in 1996 became one of the Pleasant Hill Singers. While learning and performing Shaker music, he heard his new friends often speak of their Shaker experiences, occasional and unusual happenings. Boosted by their encouragement, he spent the summer of 1998 taking notes and collecting accounts of the Shaker Ghost Stories.

Thomas Freese's varied experiences with writing, arts, storytelling, teaching, and healing contribute to the creative wisdom that shows in his work. He studied Spanish in Mexico, managed a Mexican import store in Santa Fe, was a movie extra, played harmonica and guitar, created his own jewelry business, taught around Kentucky as an artist-in-residence, illustrated books, sang with the Pleasant Hill Singers, performed as a storyteller at schools and libraries, and earned a Masters Degree in Expressive Therapies.

Thomas has written since 1998 for the Chevy Chaser and Southsider Magazines, in Lexington, KY. He writes both feature articles and the monthly column Day Trips. For the Day Trips, Thomas travels throughout Kentucky and surrounding states to report on fun and intriguing places and people. When traveling and making new friends, Thomas is always keen to hear about the experiences of others; this desire to promote the stories and lives of those he meets led him to collect the ghost stories from Shakertown at Pleasant Hill.

Thomas Freese believes that material, mortal life, shows but a small portion of the greater reality of our nature, existence and potential. By collecting and writing Shaker Ghost Stories, he endeavors to encourage kindred spirits to acknowledge their own stories, particularly those out of the ordinary moments that are special and help us to see with eyes of inner truth. As an Art Therapist and Counselor, Thomas Freese practices and promotes the safe, nurturing and effective expression of inner creativity, truth, and soul journey. He has collected many more ghost stories in addition to the Shaker Ghost Stories; those tales will surely appear in future books!