Shaped by the waters of the Great Lakes and steeped in maritime history, it probably comes as no surprise you'll find lots of haunted places in Michigan. From the spirits that wander the shores of the Great Lakes to the ghostly activity in the cottages nestled within the forests, Michigan is a state where restless spirits roam the land.
Columbia Court Apartments
The Columbia Court Apartments of Battle Creek is a 100-year old apartment building that former residents loved so much, they stuck around. The building boasts a variety of supernatural activity. Occurrences include doors opening and closing by themselves, lights flickering, and the sounds of disembodied voices at night.
Felt Mansion
Felt Mansion in Holland is reportedly haunted by numerous entities and boasts encounters with shadow people within its walls. The tale behind Felt Mansion is that of the inventor Dorr E. Felt and his wife, Agnes, who haunts the premises. Agnes died soon after the house was completed, and rumors suggest she haunts the mansion as a way of enjoying the home after death in a way she didn't have the chance to in life. The grand estate is available for tours and hosts private and public events, as well.
Shore of Lake Huron in Forester
The small village of Forester rests on the eastern Michigan coast. It is in this town where James Quay and his wife lived. They built a tavern here in 1852, and this tavern still remains yet lies abandoned. James and his wife had a daughter named Minnie who, at fifteen years of age, fell in love with a sailor who occasionally visited Forester.
The townspeople and Minnie's parents greatly disapproved of the relationship. During these times, "good" girls did not marry sailors. Minnie Quay fell deeply in love with this particular sailor in spite of her parents' objections. One spring in 1876, word arrived that the sailor had perished in a storm while at sea. Young Minnie was so heartbroken she committed suicide by jumping off the town pier, where she drowned under the icy waters of Lake Huron.
As the decades passed, people who visited this part of the Lake Huron shoreline reported hearing mournful crying from the water. In the ensuing years, young women have reported seeing a teenage girl beckoning them from the water. One girl in particular reported she had seen this apparition before. Shortly after telling her friends, she was also found in the lake - another teenage drowning victim.
Today, the abandoned Old Quay tavern still stands across the street from the Forester Inn. It stands as a testament to the abandoned dreams of a lost love. Does the restless spirit who once lived in that inn still search mournfully within the dark waters of Lake Heron for the sailor she loved?
Shelldrake
Is it possible for a town to disappear off the face of the earth? This is exactly what happened to the village of Shelldrake, located four miles north of Paradise. The earliest settlement of this town was in the early 1800s, and the primary industry was lumber. The village seemed destined for tragedy since several major fires swept through it. The last significant forest fire was in 1926, after which most of the residents moved south and founded Paradise. In fact, many of the ancestors of Paradise residents were residents of Sheldrake Village. Of the few buildings left today, most of them are considered haunted. Look on the local dock for a sea captain, or check the Palmer House for lights that turn on and off.
Michigan Bell Telephone
Warren Randall lived with his wife, Virginia, in a large mansion in Grand Rapids called the Judd-White House. Warren was a local brakeman for the G.R. and Indiana Railroad. In 1908, Warren had a terrible accident at the railroad and lost his leg, and it was replaced with a wooden one. Warren's accident marked a point of psychological distress and constant arguing between Warren and Virginia. Warren was convinced his wife was unfaithful, preferring other men who were not disabled.
The paranoia escalated to violence at times, and police were reportedly often summoned to the Judd-White house to end domestic disturbances. Finally, after Warren failed to kill her with a razor, Virginia left him. No one knows what happened on that fateful summer night in 1910, but somehow Warren convinced Virginia to come back to the house once again. That night, they had another argument that ended when Warren beat Virginia with his wooden leg. He proceeded to seal the room using towels, opened a gas fixture in the room, and allowed it to fill with fumes. Unable to wait for his own death, he slashed his throat with a straight razor.
Unfortunately, the couple went unmissed for two entire weeks. Finally, workers from the office building next door noticed a strange smell coming from the house and reported it. When representatives from the Board of Health and workers from the gas company broke open the door, they discovered a cloud of noxious fumes and the two horribly decayed bodies.
The Judd-White house was reportedly extremely haunted with lights, sounds, screams, and the sound of a woman begging for her life coming from the abandoned house. Ten years later, the house was purchased by the local phone company and torn down. The Michigan Bell Telephone Company offices replaced the building in 1924.
Ever since the new building was built, residents of Grand Rapids started reporting receiving odd phone calls late at night. When the calls were eventually traced, they were found to originate from within the phone company office building.
Reynolds Cemetery
In November of 1883, a horrible mass murder took place in Jackson that remains unsolved to this day. Eunice White, her husband Moses Polley, and Eunice's father, Jacob Crouch, were shot to death in Jacob's home while asleep. The murderer was never found. Eunice and her father were buried in different cemeteries. However, according to legend, on the anniversary of the murder, Eunice travels to Jackson's Reynolds Cemetery where her father is buried, so the two can be reunited.
Ganong Cemetery
Visitors to Westland's Butler Cemetery (also known as William Ganong Cemetery) report seeing an apparition of a lady in white here. It may be no surprise a ghost lady cries in the cemetery, because a blonde scalp was found there in 1980, the origins of which remain a mystery to this day. It was after the discovery of the scalp that events in and near the cemetery escalated. A number of fatality accidents began to occur on the curve on a road that ran past the cemetery. In fact, there were so many accidents that it's now called the Fatal Curve, and the woman is referred to as the Blonde of Butler Cemetery.
Oak Hill Cemetery
With a number of Battle Creek's famous pioneers buried here including Sojourner Truth, C.W. Post, and W.K. Kellogg, Oak Hill Cemetery is also home to a tall stone statue of the Virgin Mary. According to legend, the statue, nicknamed Crying Mary, cries at the stroke of midnight every Sunday.
Tour Haunted Hot Spots in Michigan
Michigan is a state filled with history and hauntings. Many are open to exploration. However, keep in mind many locations are not open to the public, but you can still walk around the area and speak to local residents about what they may have seen or heard.
