The Mystery Of the Sinister White Door

The following is an experience from Shakers guide, Leah. Listen to Leah tell this story and more on our latest episode of "Ghost Tales" on Shakers Milwaukee YouTube!

(Click here for full video)

I get a lot of people on my tour asking about the door that’s downstairs by the safe. People say, “We’ve heard this about it or that about it, what can you tell me?” All I can say is that I’ve never heard a full story. It’s all very vague. You know, like some hecklers on the tour or something being disrespectful to the spirits, and then the door will shake or hit them. They’ve been known to never come back to Shakers again… or something like that. Could be why it’s locked. Some people have claimed to see a girl behind it... a dog... a portal to hell... what have you.

When I interviewed to work at Shakers in 2020, I had never done the tour before, but I was hired. After I was hired, I did the tour. Our tour guide [at the time], Michelle, took me down to show me what I would be doing.

We’re down in that cellar portion of the tour, and I’m standing over by the safe near the door. After hearing her talk for a little about the safe, I start to feel like I’m being suffocated. Not just a little short of breath – I feel like there is a hand around my throat. I’m not able to breathe. I almost fell down to my knees. Eventually, I walked a little bit away past the safe, and I told Michelle.

“Hey, I just felt like I was suffocated. Is that normal?”

She’s like, “Oh, yes, that’s nothing we haven’t seen before,” and then she told me all about the door.

I was, you know, a little concerned, *giggles* because nothing like that has ever happened to me before… or since. My mom’s a nurse and she’s like, oh, you had a heart attack. No, I’m in my mid-twenties and fairly healthy… I can guarantee this was not a heart attack.

How I felt like I was being suffocated, I cannot tell you. I think something or some-… yeah, something or someone, decided that they saw a newcomer and did not take too kindly to me being down there.

- Leah M. (Tour Guide)