Nature provides us with visions of things we know. It shapes-shifts ordinally things into something else. Like clouds, rocks and trees can take on different shapes too.

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Have you ever seen a face in knots of wood planks, or on the bark of a tree? My brother and I used to make a game out of it. We would go around the barn lot and talk to the faces like they were people. When we went on vacation, to a state park, we would see who could find the most faces.

Because I grew up looking for faces in tree bark, a Facebook page I came across made me do a double and triple take.

The photos and the legend behind The Donkey Tree are so creepy.

<span style="font-weight: 300;">If you grew up in Bardstown/Nelson County, you probably know about the donkey tree…..</span>There is a tree near Fredericktown, KY called “The Donkey Tree”. According to the legend the tree and where it grew is cursed: An old farmer used to beat this donkey and one day beat it to death. The place where the donkey died or was buried a tree grew out of it. Supposedly if you touch it you get into an accident and break a bone. If you put an apple in its mouth it’s supposed to bring good luck. <em>Connie Hardin Brown</em>

Locals have experienced all kinds of strange sounds and sights near The Donkey Tree.

There is an evil trapped inside this tree. We knew not to walk past the tree at night, our grandmother would beg us to keep our distance, especially at night. After nightfall, the voices draw you towards it. It calls to you. - Local Resident

Read the comments in this Facebook post. Very interesting.

One of The Donkey Tree Legends

Another The Donky Tree Legend

Back in the '30s or '40s, there was an orphanage on that road where the Donkey tree is. (locals and local records confirm this.)

There was one little orphan boy who was much smaller than all of the other boys and he got beat up on a daily basis by a group of bullies when he would walk to and from the orphanage.

The little orphan boy always helped out with the farm animals and since he didn’t have many friends he spent most of his time tending to the animals. He was particularly fond of one of the donkeys and after a while, the donkey started following the little boy everywhere he went like a dog.

The donkey was like the little orphan's bodyguard and every time one of the bullies would start something he would attack them. After a few months, the bullies got really tired of this and came up with a plan to really sock it to the little orphan.

One of the bullies played hooky from school and after all of the other kids had gone inside he tied the donkey to a tree far away from the school so that it would not be able to walk the little boy home. That afternoon the little boy yelled and yelled and the donkey never came so eventually he started the walk home alone.

When he got to the bridge the group of boys was hiding underneath. Just as the little boy got to the middle of the bridge some climbed up in front of him and some climbed up behind him and trapped him on the bridge. They all started beating him with sticks and rocks.

When they finally stopped they realized that the little boy was not moving and in fact, they had beaten him to death. Scared that they would be found out they threw his body into the water and hoped that it would wash away the evidence.

The donkey eventually broke free of the tree and was wandering up and down the river bed looking for the little boy. They say that it finally found the little boy's body and that is how the police found him. The donkey stood right beside the body and he-hawed until someone finally came and discovered the grisly sight.

Supposedly the donkey was so distraught after the little boy’s death that it refused to eat and eventually died of starvation. The Donkey Tree was the tree that the donkey had been tied to and over time, it grew into the shape of the donkey head.

Legend says that if you are near the tree at midnight, you will hear the crying voice of the boy calling for his donkey. If you have an evil soul and have tormented others, evil will befall you within a week. If you have a compassionate soul, good luck will befall you within the week. - The Donkey Tree Facebook Page.

The Donkey Tree Facebook page hasn't posted anything since 2018, but if you would like to follow it, go HERE.

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