Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

The largest restored Shaker village in America encompasses 3,000 acres with 34 original buildings. The celibate religious community flourished here from 1805 until the last Shaker left in 1923.

The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, seven miles northeast of Harrodsburg, is the largest restored Shaker community in the United States, a 3,000-acre site containing 34 original buildings that housed the third largest Shaker community in the country between 1805 and 1910. The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing — the Shakers — practiced celibacy, communal living, and spiritual devotion, and their village at Pleasant Hill became a model of self-sufficient utopian life. But despite the serenity of its appearance in the twenty-first century, the village experienced episodes of profound darkness during the Shakers' tenure: accidents and maimings, premature deaths and catastrophic building losses, sickness and debilitation, and even suicides. One of the ways the Shakers confronted these difficulties was through communication with the spiritual world — a practice that may explain why so many spirits seem to have remained when the living Shakers departed.

The most disturbing legend involves the pond near the village, where ghostly babies have been heard crying at night. According to the darkest version of the story, the strictly celibate Shaker community disposed of unwanted children born from transgressions — drowning them in the pond under cover of darkness. Whether this happened or is apocryphal folklore, the sounds of infant cries near the water have been reported by independent visitors over many years.

The Tanyard House is considered the village's most actively haunted building. A spirit named Polly has become so well-known that a guest journal kept in the house is filled with accounts of her activity. Visitors report footsteps throughout the night, rocking chairs that move on their own, and doors that open and close without human intervention. Employees have described feeling something touch their hair. One visitor experienced severe headaches and uncontrollable leg trembling while exploring the attic. Some accounts describe the entity as potentially malevolent — one guest warned that "whatever is there is not and never was human."

Room 194 in the West Building is the village's other notorious haunted room. A guest staying there reported their covers being manipulated and sheets pulled away as if an unseen presence was saying "you need to get up now." The Trustees Building has also been a site of reported activity, with visitors describing a spirit sitting on their bed repeatedly during the night and metal door latches moving on their own. The Wash House, Ministry Shop, and Family House all have their own reports of footsteps in empty rooms, overturned furniture, and restless, sleepless nights.

A security guard patrolling in the early morning hours once saw a man dressed in full Shaker clothing walking along the main street. When the guard went to investigate, the figure had vanished entirely — no footprints, no sound, nothing to indicate anyone had been there.

The village embraces its darker side through its Spirit Strolls program, guided tours that begin at the 1839 Trustees' Office where lanterns are distributed for walks along the historic turnpike. The tours draw on Shaker journal entries and preserved stories, leading visitors to the 1811 Shaker Cemetery. Thomas Freese's book Shaker Ghost Stories from Pleasant Hill, Kentucky documents the breadth of paranormal accounts associated with the village. The program deals with mature themes including illness, injury, murder, and grief, and is intended for ages sixteen and older.