THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       MICHIGAN   ALLEGAN LODGE (ALLEGAN) BACKGROUND: Built in 1909 for use as a hospital, there was tunnel running underneath that connected the building to the home of Dr. John Robinson. In a ten-year span between 1925 and 1935 the building was tied to organized crime and developed a reputation as a mob hospital with a connection to Al Capone and some claim it was used as a storage facility for bootleg liquor with a basement area that was the scene of mob interrogations. 60 years after it’s opening, the Elks bought the building in 1961 and operated there until recently when it underwent renovation to be converted into a Conference Center. PHENOMENA: Elks Club members report a host of noises and apparitions that were especially prevalent during renovations. A plumber and his apprentice were working in the building and saw a piece of pipe fly through the air causing the apprentice to leave the building and refuse to work there alone anymore. The sounds of children laughing have been heard - sometimes accompanied by their apparitions looking out windows. There are also sounds of “hospital activity”, footsteps and strange cold spots. There are reports of people being shoved inside the building by an unseen force as well as disembodied voices and footsteps.  BEESON MANSION (NILES) BACKGROUND: Strother McNeil Beeson moved to this area in 1832. He practiced law in South Bend before moving to Niles where he “engaged in other pursuits and accumulated a considerable fortune, consisting mainly in real estate in Iowa and the city of Chicago. In 1858, Strother moved to Niles and it is presumed to be at this time that he bought the yellow, brick Greek revival-style house on Bond Street which William McOmber had built in 1847 at a reputed cost of $65,000. McOmber built the house at this location to be in close proximity to a whiskey distillery located on the creek. It is said that a whiskey bottle is encased in the cornerstone. After Strother’s acquisition of the home, he built the mausoleum across the street. His mother, Judith Ann Lewis, died in 1869 and became the first person to be entombed there. The mausoleum itself cost as much to erect as the Beeson house, with an additional $10,000 expended on the fieldstone wall surrounding the tomb. https://southwester.swmich.edu/sites/all/files/print_archive/2011_01/southwester_01_2011.pdf PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> It’s long been said that Job’s mother never came to terms with her grief and would visit the crypt every night to feed, bathe and even diaper the infant's lifeless body. She began leaving a lit lantern inside so that he wouldn't be scared. One night, the infant’s decomposing body  fell apart in her arms which drove her insane. Now it’s said the baby’s spirit still haunts the grave site and his mother Harriet’s sobbing can still be heard inside the mansion. This has no basis in fact as the baby did sadly pass away at the age of 11 months reportedly at his grandfather Strother's home, the result of teething according to Berrien County records, but his mother’s actions are nothing but a grotesque legend. The fact of the child in the tomb is mentioned as far back as 1946, but never referred to as a legend, much less a ghost story, until 1961. BRUCE MANSION (BROWN CITY) BACKGROUND: The property was originally owned by John C Emery who was awarded the 160 acres in 1857 by President Franklin Pierce. John lost his son in the Civil War and hi9s wife to illness and moved to Lansing with his son Jarod and eventually remarried, this time to Mary Agge of Salem, MA. The property then passed hands to J. Gunn in 1863 and it during this time that John G. Bruce opened the Bruce and Webster General Merchants with his brother-in-law. Gunn sold the farm to Bruce in 1874. The Bruce Mansion was then erected in 1876. The home eventually left the Bruce Family and was acquired by Cynthia Smith who maintained the property until she died in the house from “fever” in 1921. It was willed to her son, Frank, but he sold it to Lambart Bowman Cowell in 1922. The current owners, the Waites, acquired the home out of the foreclosure in 2009. PHENOMENA: It’s said by owners over the years that the house displays a great amount of paranormal activity that includes doors opening and closing themselves. In the 1920s, one owner named John Walker was driving the back roads when he struck and killed a pedestrian. Frightened by this act, it’s said he brought the body back to the mansion and buried it somewhere on the property. Locals maintain he eventually hanged himself in the bell tower and it’s speculated the ghosts of his victim may have pushed him to do this, but the actual cause is not known. Regardless, Walker’s spirit has been witnessed here, usually accompanied by a woman dressed in yellow. A rest room next to the parlor is occasionally visited by a ghost who attempts to open the door on men who are using it. It’s also said the spirits of a dog and a cat roam the building and hve been seen on many occasions by staff and guests. DOHERTY HOTEL (CLAIRE) BACKGROUND: Senator Alfred James Doherty I, friend of Henry Ford, was convinced that the automobile would eventually become the transportation of choice, and therefore decided to build in the center of Clare instead of near the railroads, which was very insightful for that era, and, eventually, proved to be very profitable. Soon thereafter, Clare became known as “The Crossroads of Michigan” as the Pere Marquette Railroad and the Ann Arbor Railroad intercepted in this small town. Thanks to these two railroads, Clare became a popular stopping place for tourists and commercial travelers, and the new Hotel Doherty was there to accommodate. A hotbed of activity during Prohibition, the hotel became a speakeasy - a place where the alcohol flowed, the gambling was rampant, and the women were easy. It was a perfect place for the mobsters to hang out.....including the infamous Purple Gang. Many gangland murders occurred there. In particular, one in 1938 when oil promoter Jack Livingston shot & killed his cousin, Purple Gang lawyer/businessman Isaiah Leebove in the "Tap Room" hotel bar. In 1969, Alfred James Doherty, III, grandson to Senator Doherty, took the helm of the hotel. https://dohertyhotel.net/node/5  PHENOMENA: It's believed Isaiah Leebove’s ghost  haunts the hotel, as well as the Doherty family matriarch, Helen. The scent of her perfume can be detected in hallways, loud knocks come from empty rooms, guest room doors open and close by themselves and apparitions & shadowy figures have been spotted from the lobby to the top floor. It’s also thought the spirits of murder victims beyond Leebove’s roam the hotel, always making their presence known. FELT MANSION (SAUGATUCK) BACKGROUND: Dorr Felt was born in 1862 near Beloit, Wisconsin. At eighteen, he moved to Chicago, becoming a foreman at a rolling mill. In 1885, he hit upon the idea of constructing a calculating machine to aid the shop's accountants. He eventually developed and patented his machine, and in 1889 opened a factory. His company was successful, and Felt also served in a number of prominent positions in government and business groups. Felt married Agnes McNulty in 1891 and the couple had four daughters. The Felts first visited the Saugatuck area in the early 1900s as a tourist, and fell in love with the area. Starting in 1919, they began acquiring land in the area, and in 1926 purchased the lots where this house now stands. At the time, the Felts lived in a modest farmhouse on the site, which has since been demolished. Construction began in July 1927, and was completed in 1928.[3] In August 1928, Agnes Felt suddenly died at the estate. Dorr Felt remarried the next year, but his new wife preferred living in Chicago to the summer estate. Dorr Felt died in August 1930. The mansion was left to his children, who kept it until 1949, when it was sold to the Chicago Province of the Augustinian Order of the Catholic Church. PHENOMENA: It’s believed the ghosts of Agnes and Dorr remain here in a plce where their time was cut all too short. Their ghosts are said to have been witnessed waltzing in the ballroom. There are many reports of shadow people roaming the property who have showed themselves to guests and sometimes, it’s said, on film. A pair of French double doors have been seen opening followed by a blast of icy air. Urban legends alert >> According to legend, the mansion is a place where “melon heads” disposed of the remains of an evil doctor who performed experiments on them, largely based on their supposed origins in the woods surrounding Saugatuck. HENDERSON CASTLE (KALAMAZOO) BACKGROUND: The history of the home began with Frank Henderson. Mr. Henderson was one of early Kalamazoo's most successful businessmen. He was the owner and president of Henderson-Ames Company. Henderson-Ames made uniform regalia for secret societies, fraternal organizations, and the military. Mr. Henderson's wife, Mary, had inherited a plot of undeveloped land on the western edge of Kalamazoo before the company's large success and Mr. Henderson dreamt of a grand suburb on this land. Allowing that dream to come to fruition, in 1888, he enlisted the help of surveyors, engineers, and landscape architects to plot the land and create Kalamazoo's first "natural site plan". In 1890, Mr. Henderson was ready to build his home in his new residential district.  Mr. Henderson died in 1899, however, his wife remained at the castle until she died in 1907. The castle was inherited by the Henderson children and it wasn't until 1919 that it was sold out of the family. Ten parties have owned Henderson Castle. PHENOMENA: Detroit Free Press travel writer Ellen Creager was sound asleep in the Dutch Room when she felt tapping on her forearm. She awoke to it and heard a woman’s voice say, ‘Go away.’ She found another guest had a similar experience there. A former owner’s 7-year-old son saw the apparition of a figure in the Victorian Room in period dress, originally the changing room for Mary Henderson. One staff member said on numerous occasions that she felt a presence move pass her on the stairs. Cabinets on the scullery in the kitchen that are 12 to 15 feet high have been found opened. There have been sounds of disembodied footsteps and locked doors banging on their own. HOLLY HOTEL (HOLLY) BACKGROUND: The Hirst Hotel was built in 1891 by John Hirst to cater to the flow of railroad passengers passing through Holly. Having the largest and finest dining room in the area, the hotel rapidly became the social center of the surrounding community. The hotel itself was one of the best in the area, and attracted guests such as Michigan Governors Thomas E. Dewey. In 1912, businessman Joseph P. Allen bought the building. In 1913, the hotel suffered a disastrous fire, completely destroying the second and third floors. Allen rebuilt the structure, but in a somewhat more modest style, with a shorter tower, plainer second floor fenestration, and plainer porches. The hotel reopened as the Allendorf in late 1913. In 1913, Henry Norton purchased the building, redecorated it, and renamed it the Hotel Norton. However, as the passenger train traffic dwindled and finally stopped, the hotel became less desirable, and the building eventually became just a local restaurant. In 1978, the hotel suffered another disastrous fire. Local resident Dr. Leslie Sher purchased the building and began restoring it, rebuilding the roof and tower to the original 1891 design. The building was reopened in 1979 as a restaurant. Every state governor since that time has dined at the Holly Hotel, as well as President George H. W. Bush during his 1992 campaign. PHENOMENA:  It’s assumed that John Hirst still haunts many areas his former building and it’s been noted he dislikes loud noise and whenever renovations are being performed. His apparition has been seen in a top hat and a frock coat accompanied at times by the small of cigar smoke or a faint, baritone laughter that resounds through the house. Nora Kane, a former inn hostess, who had a great love of music and whose portrait adorns the lobby, is said to make appearances at events like weddings or wherever the sound of music is present. Her perfume is said to waft through the house announcing her presence, especially in the turret area of the bar. Her apparition is described as graceful albeit not of the full-body type as she is rarely seen below the knees. Sounds of a piano are heard and it’s thought to be Nora playing in the afterlife. She can be heard from time to time singing or requesting a song from any pianist available. A young female spirit makes their happy presence known in the kitchen by playing with utensils, especially a meat cleaver. The sound of giggling can be heard from time to time as can footsteps running up the stairs. A Native American man was once seen in the dining room with his distinguishing feature being the lack of feet. He hovered in view for a few moments before fading into nothingness.  https://www.hollyhotel.com/our-ghosts LANDMARK INN (MARQUETTE) BACKGROUND: The Northland Hotel was first conceived around 1910. The foundation was laid in 1917, but the 100-room hotel itself did not open until January 8, 1930. From the 30s through the 1960s, however, the hotel stood at the epicenter of the downtown Marquette social scene. Our guest history includes visits from luminaries such as Amelia Earhart (1932), and Abbott & Costello (1942), who stayed at the hotel during World War II when in town to perform at the American Legion. Today, the rooms where they stayed bear the names of these famous guests. Other famous guests include Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and The Rolling Stones. As the late 1970s arrived, the hotel fell into disrepair before finally closing in 1982. The property underwent a comprehensive renovation in 1995 by Team Landmark, a company specializing in historic restorations, and re-emerged under a new name – the Landmark Inn – to once again reign as the grandest of Marquette’s downtown hotels. http://www.thelandmarkinn.com/history-en.html PHENOMENA: A spinster librarian is said to be the hotel’s most notable ghost. She a crewman fell in love, planned to marry and live in Marquette.  This was to happen after his final cruise, but the ship went down, killing all aboard. It’s said the librarian died of a broken heart and today she is seen forlornly gazing out from the 6th floor Lilac Room. That room is the most haunted on the premises, with one male guest complaining one night about of all things, screws in his bed clothes. The sheets were changed, but later on he complained of the same thing and had to be moved to a different room. The front desk reports getting calls from the Lilac Room, even when it’s not occupied. There are tales of a murder committed here many years ago by a man who killed a female acquaintance out of jealousy. It’s said he disposed of her body in the unfinished basement and the sounds of her whispers and cries were apparent to the work crews that were finishing up the job there. MACKINAC ISLAND (STRAITS OF MACKINAC) BACKGROUND:  Located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to an Odawa settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It served a strategic position as a center on the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade. This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of two battles during the War of 1812. In the late 19th century, Mackinac Island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. Much of the island has undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration; as a result, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It is well known for its numerous cultural events; its wide variety of architectural styles, including the Victorian Grand Hotel and its ban on almost all motor vehicles save for emergency and construction vehicles. PHENOMENA: The Grand Hotel is one of the hot spots for paranormal activity. Legend says construction workers uncovered human remains while digging the hotel's foundation. One story tells of an "evil entity" which shows itself as a black mass with glowing red eyes. A maintenance man, working on the hotel's theater stage, reported that the black mass rushed after him, knocking him off his feet. He awoke two days later, and never returned. Staff have reported seeing a man in a top hat playing the bar's piano. Others see a woman in Victorian clothing who roams the halls, even getting into beds. The Drowning Pool is another hot spot. In the 1700s and early 1800s, seven women were accused of being witches. Back in those days, one of the methods used for determining if someone was a witch or not was to tie rocks to their feet and throw them into water to see if they would float or not. If they sank, they were deemed innocent. The seven accused women were thrown into a lagoon on the island between Mission Point and downtown Mackinac - and all of them sank and drowned. Legend says the women haunt the waters to this day. Visitors report seeing mysterious splashing, shadows and dark figures floating above the surface. Fort Mackinac is a Revolutionary War-era fort on the island, and a popular tourist site. Visitors have reported strange orbs in pictures. In the hospital, some have felt feelings of sadness and have seen apparitions of phantom limbs. The sound of crying babies is often heard, along with mysteriously moved furniture, and motion detectors set off with no one around. At the Officer's Stone Quarters, ghostly children are said to be playing with toys, leaving them thrown around the floor in the morning. Mission Point Resort was home to The Moral Re- Alignment, a religious movement started in the 1930s. It was built in the 1950s. The resort's popular ghost story is that of a man named Harvey, who died in the late 1960s. The story goes, Harvey, who was dealing with a broken heart, shot himself behind the resort, and wasn't discovered until six months later. But some believe there is more to Harvey's story - that perhaps he was killed. Harvey is often reported in Mission Point's theater, where visitors have reported being pinched or poked. A woman claims that while she was visiting a hotel on the island, she experienced some paranormal activity. She was alone in the hotel room, when the bathroom door closed, and the lights turned off. She never returned to the room alone. https://www.clickondetroit.com/features/michigans-most-haunted-mackinac-island TRIVIA: The location was featured on SyFy’s Ghost Hunters MARY MAYO HALL (EAST LANSING) BACKGROUND: Mayo Hall was built in 1931 and is named after Mary Mayo, who started women’s courses at Michigan State University. Known originally as the Sylvan Lodge, the hall was located in a small park, the remains of which can be seen in a group of trees east of the building. Mary Anne Mayo was on the committee of the Michigan Agricultural College (as MSU was called then) and was a huge booster of the female role on campus. At the time (late 1800's), courses for women did not exist. Mary Mayo became very active with speeches and lectures, advocating for a women’s course and women’s dormitory with the belief that the college's current curriculum offered almost nothing to women, no matter from what walks of life they came from. In 1896, a women’s course was finally created and a building was constructed, referred to as the Women’s Building (which became Morrill Hall). This hall was supposed to be named after Mary...but a hall in her name didn't happen until 18 years after she passed away. She fell sick and died in 1903. http://99wfmk.com/msuspooks-2/ PHENOMENA: Immediately after the hall was built and named in Mary’s honor, paranormal activity was noted. There are reports of a ghostly female wandering the halls which is said to be Mary Mayo herself. Lights tun on and off by themselves, footsteps followed by floorboards creaking have been heard along with loud unexplained bangs and crashes and the sound of disembodied voices. The attic holds a place called simply, “The Red room” that has been sealed off and where séances were said to have taken place back in the 1930s. A piano inside the building has been said to play on its own during nighttime hours. MASONIC TEMPLE (DETROIT) BACKGROUND: The world's largest Masonic Temple is located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit and serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Association was incorporated in Detroit in 1894. It moved into its first temple, on Lafayette Boulevard at First Street, in 1896. Outgrowing these quarters, the Association purchased land on Bagg Street (now Temple Avenue) to build a new temple that would also include a public theater. Fund-raising for construction of the building raised $2.5 million (equivalent to $31.27 million in 2018), and ground-breaking took place on Thanksgiving Day, 1920. The cornerstone was placed on September 19, 1922, using the same trowel that George Washington had used to set the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C.. The building was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1926. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> Built by wealthy George D. Mason who legend says overspent on construction and went bankrupt, which even forced his wife to leave him. He eventually climbed the tower of the building and leapt to his death. In fact, Mason lived until the age of 92 and died in 1948. It’s said though that security guards have reported seeing Mason’s ghost climbing those stairs to the tower. Doors and windows have been known to slam shut, cold spots are common in the building and shadowy figures have been seen moving about. TRIVIA: In April 2013, the building was reported to be in foreclosure over $152,000 in back taxes owed to Wayne County. The debt was paid off in May 2013, and in June 2013, it was revealed that $142,000 of the bill was footed by singer-songwriter Jack White, a Detroit native known for his work with The White Stripes. He wanted to help the temple in its time of need as they had helped his mother in a time of need: the temple gave her a job as an usher in the theater when she was struggling to find work. The movie Batman vs. Superman was filmed here on location. MICHIGAN BELL TELEPHONE BUILDING (GRAND RAPIDS) BACKGROUND: This building on Fountain Street in downtown Grand Rapids was built by Michigan Bell in 1925. It housed central office equipment and served as Michigan Bell's headquarters for the western side of the state. The building was designed by Wirt Rowland in an authentic Romanesque style which compliments the Romanesque Fountain Street Church (across the street), built a few years earlier. This building was built in downtown Grand Rapids, on the grounds of a demolished extravagant mansion, the Judd-White House. It was purchased from the previous owners by Warren Randall & his wife. The house was subsequently purchased by the Michigan Bell telephone Company in 1920 and their new building was erected in 1924. PHENOMENA: Warren Randall was a railroad brakeman who lost his leg in a railway accident in 1908. He was given an artificial, wooden leg and things changed dramatically for the Randalls. Warren began to accuse his wife Virginia of having affairs with men who had two good legs. The arguments escalated until they became physical and often, police were called to quell the domestic abuses, even going so far as to arrest Warren for chasing his wife down an alley with a straight razor. Eventually, Virginia left him later that same year. IN 1910, Warren talked Virginia into taking a buggy ride with and she complied not knowing she was sealing her own fate. Whatever transpired that night is unknown, but what is known is that Warren unstrapped his wooden leg and beat Virginia to death with it. He then took the straight razor blade and slashed his own throat. Before doing so, he sealed every crevice in the room shut with towels and turned on the gas. It was not until employees of the office building next door noticed a noxious odor and a gas company worker responded and found the decaying bodies of both Randalls. Before long, passersby reported lights on inside the empty building and the weird sound of thumping on the floor where the bodies were discovered. It’s further stated that Virginia’s screams of agony had been heard on more than a few occasions. Local residents have reported being called in the middle of the night with the calls being traced to the telephone building where employees denied being involved in any way whatsoever. MICHIGAN’S FIRST STATE PRISON (JACKSON) BACKGROUND: The first permanent structure was constructed in Jackson in 1842. In 1926, the prison was relocated to a new building, and soon became the largest walled prison in the world with nearly 6,000 inmates. The prison was renamed the State Prison of Southern Michigan in 1935. Beginning in 1988, the prison was carved up into several correctional facilities. The Southern Michigan Correctional Facility (JMF), which contained the heart of the 1926 prison structure, was finally closed on November 17, 2007. The original 1842 site was used as a Michigan National Guard armory for some time, and now houses residential apartments as well as several art galleries and a bicycle cooperative. PHENOMENA: Visitors and investigators report seeing apparitions, hearing disembodied moaning and screams, doors slamming, banging on pipes an the feeling of physical contact from unseen entities.. TRIVIA: Former Detroit Tiger Ron LeFlore was incarcerated here. PAULDING LIGHT (PAULDING) BACKGROUND:  A light that appears in a valley outside Paulding, Michigan. Reports of the light have appeared since the 1960s, with popular folklore providing such explanations as ghosts, geologic activity, or swamp gas. The first recorded sighting of the Paulding Light was in 1966 when a group of teenagers reported the light to a local sheriff. Since then, a number of other individuals have reported seeing the mysterious light, which is said to appear nearly every night at the site. PHENOMENA: Urban legend alert >> The most popular legend involves the death of a railroad brakeman. The legend states that the valley once contained railroad tracks and the light is the lantern of the brakeman who was killed while attempting to stop an oncoming train from colliding with railway cars stopped on the tracks. Another story claims the light is the ghost of a slain mail courier, while another says that it is the ghost of an Indian dancing on the power lines that run through the valley. According to John Carlisle of the Detroit Free Press, one legend is that it is a "grandparent looking for a lost grandchild with a lantern that needs constant relighting, the reason the light seems to come and go". In 2010, students from the Michigan Tech chapter of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) used a telescope to examine the light, and were able to see vehicles and stationary objects on a highway, including a specific Adopt a Highway sign. They were reportedly able to recreate the Paulding Light by driving a car through a specific location on US 45. They also recreated other observations related to the light, such as multicolored patterns (police flashers) and variations in intensity (high and low beams). They hypothesized that the stability of an inversion layer allowed the lights to be visible from the stretch of highway 4.5 miles away. TRIVIA: In 2010, the Paulding Light was featured on the SyFy television show Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files. The investigators were depicted trying several experiments in an unsuccessful attempt to recreate the light, including using car headlights from a north-south section of US 45 and a flyover by an airplane with a spotlight. According to SyFy.com, "After conducting an EVP session, they finally decide that the phenomenon is unexplainable." PERE CHENEY CEMETERY (CRAWFORD COUNTY) BACKGROUND: At least 90 people were buried in the Pere Cheney Cemetery, but, due to vandalism, very few headstones remain. Some sort of disease; chloera, or diphtheria was said to have wiped out the entire town in the early 20th century. According to local legends, a witch cursed the village of Pere Cheney after being banished to the woods, hence the reasoning behind the mass outbreaks of disease in the area. The village was abandoned in the early Twentieth century and has since taken on the reputation of a ghost town. The cemetery is owned by Beaver Creek Township, Michigan and is maintained by the township. PHENOMENA: There are many stories surrounding the ghost town of Pere Cheney as well as the cemetery itself. Ghosts, witches, strange figures, glowing orbs, lights in the trees, and a woman wearing a light colored dress who wanders the back part of the cemetery before vanishing from sight. People have said to have heard children laughing while there and returning to their cars having hand prints on them. Some say that Pere Cheney was a cursed town from the start, as it was built on Native American land. According to local legends, a witch cursed the village of Pere Cheney after being banished to the woods, hence the reasoning behind the mass outbreaks of disease in the area. The only thing that grows in the town is a green mossy grass. And according to some accounts, the entire town is haunted. TRIVIA: On Friday, October 16, 2009 a group of teens who had gathered at the Pere Cheney Cemetery were confronted by a white male in his 50s. The man brandished and fired a shotgun at the teens. POINTE AUX BARQUES LIGHTHOUSE (PORT HOPE) BACKGROUND: An active lighthouse maintained by the US Coast Guard remotely, "Pointe aux Barques" means 'Point of Little Boats', a descriptor of the shallow shoals and reefs that lurk beneath these waves, presenting a hazard to boats as they round Michigan's Thumb. President James K. Polk appropriated $5,000 to build the first lighthouse structure on July 3, 1847. The first light tower was built on this location in 1847, at a cost of $5,000. It was first lit for the 1848 shipping season. The tower was poorly constructed and needed to be replaced after only 10 years. The first keeper, Peter Shook, and his family moved in in 1848. In 1849 the keeper's dwelling burned to the ground and Peter drowned while he and a couple of friends were sailing to Port Huron to pick up supplies for the lighthouse. He left behind eight kids and his wife Catherine; she took over Peter's duties, thus becoming Michigan's first female lighthouse keeper. PHENOMENA: People through the years have claimed to see the spirit of Catherine walking the edge of the cliff dressed asthough still in mourning her husband and in the window of the second floor, wearing an apron. Footsteps have been heard going up and down the tower stairs along with the sounds of children’s laughter. RIVER RAISIN NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD PARK (MONROE) BACKGROUND: The area was the site of the costly Battle of Frenchtown, in which 397 Americans were killed and 547 taken prisoner after surrender to the British Army and Indian coalition during the War of 1812. The fighting took place from January 18–23, 1813. The first engagement, sometimes referred to as the "first" Battle of the River Raisin, was a success for the American forces against the British and Indian alliance. Angered by their forced retreat, the British and Native Americans counterattacked the unsuspecting American forces four days later on January 22 in the same location along the River Raisin. Many of the Americans were inexperienced troops from Kentucky; they were ill-prepared and were unable to retreat from the ambush. The day after the battle, dozens of defenseless and wounded Americans were killed on January 23 by the Native Americans, mostly Potawatomi, in what is referred to as the River Raisin Massacre. PHENOMENA: There are a host of photographs that appear to show ghostly figures on the former battlefield, in doorways and windows. The sounds of soldiers screaming in agony have also been heard. Visitors have witnessed strange light anomalies and the apparitions of soldiers as well as EVP of their voices. People also claim to have seen the ghost of a young girl in a white dress wandering the battlefields. SEUL CHOIX POINT LIGHTHOUSE (GULLIVER) BACKGROUND: The station was established in 1892 with a temporary light,[9] and this light started service in 1895, and was fully automated in 1972. It is an active aid to navigation. The United States Lighthouse Board sought to mark the sheltering harbor, and provide a visual way point between two existing lights. After considerable investigation and delay, the result was the building of this lighthouse. It also included a separate fog horn building, and a life-saving station. The lighthouse is operated by the Gulliver Historical Society, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. PHENOMENA: Joseph Willie Townsend was the lighthouse keeper between 1902 and 1910. He and his wife called the lighthouse their home. Visitors to the light remark about smelling cigar smoke without knowing Townsend was an avid cigar smoker. After he died in the lighthouse in the early 1900s, a kitchen table was found in the basement and reassembled which seemed to trigger activity as the chairs were found rearranged on many occasions and the silverware arranged in a certain consistent pattern, particularly with the fork tines always facing down. A subsequent lighthouse owner wanted an alarm installed and a technician arrived at the lighthouse to perform an assessment. While writing up an estimate in his truck, he looked up to see a man staring out at him from an upstairs window. Knowing he was very much alone at the light that day, he never returned to finish the job. There are also reports of the sound of footsteps climbing up and going down the tower stairs. Tour guides claim Townsend’s ghost likes to turn the hat backwards on a mannequin dressed as a keeper, and hide cigars in the pockets of its jacket. SOUTH LYON HOTEL (SOUTH LYON) BACKGROUND: In 1884, one of the most well-known buildings in South Lyon was built. When it was built, it was named the Commercial House.  The Commercial House was one of two hotels in South Lyon at the time. Because of the railroads, passengers from the trains would often stay in town.  These two hotels, the Commercial House and the Lyon Hotel (also called the Moody House), were rivals.  When a train would come through town and the workers heard he whistle, they would get into their horse and buggies and race to the train depot. This was exciting to the residents of South Lyon. Whenever they heard the train whistle, they would go into town to watch the race. The Lyon Hotel, or the Moody House, burned down in 1910.  However, the Commercial House, whose name changed to the Whipple House for a time, is still around today. It is now called the South Lyon Hotel, and is a very popular restaurant in town. PHENOMENA: The South Lyon Hotel sits on the grounds of a former cemetery and when the building was purchased the bodies were removed. Employees report hearing disembodied voices, seeing shadowy figures and TVs turning on and off by themselves. Staff and patrons have witnessed glasses falling off racks for no apparent reason and chairs and plants inexplicably moved. Women using the upstairs rest room will hear someone moving in the stall beside them when they are very much alone at the time. One employee stated she was scratched using the facilities and another witnessed a ghostly little girl standing at the top of the stairs. SOUTH MANITOU ISLAND (LELAND) BACKGROUND: Originally settled in the mid-1830s by William Burton to provide cord wood to fuel the Great Lakes steamships. In 1847, the village included Burton's Wharf, a house, blacksmith shop, grocery store, barn, and a wooden tamarack railroad track extending from the dock inland to haul wood for the steamers. When the first post office opened in 1870, it was located here. When logging operations ended and the dock fell into disrepair, the original island village dwindled in size and importance. Burdick’s moved their general store from its original location near the old dock to a site near the Lifesaving station in 1923 on the southeastern shore, and that marked the shift of the island community to the current village site located at the present dock where the passenger ferry arrives. Farming developed slowly on the island, but by 1870 most islanders were self-sufficient. Surplus crops were sold to passing ships and mainland markets. The isolation of the island provided an ideal environment for growing prize-winning rye, beans and peas. Today, there are no active farms on the island, but farm buildings, abandoned machinery, the old school and cemetery are reminders of the past. The island is now uninhabited, and most of its buildings lie in ruins. PHENOMENA: Long ago, a woodcutter worked dangerously late into fishing season to buy his wife a Christmas gift. Unfortunately, he never returned home and a search party found no sign of his remains. His wife was somehow convinced he had run away to the mainland with another woman. She continued to walk the beaches, lantern in hand, searching for him, all the while doing everything she could to enhance her beauty with makeup, dresses and so forth in a misguided attempt to show him she was worthy of his attention. Some time later, villagers found her dead on the beach, dressed in an evening gown and high heels. It’s said she still walks the beaches with lantern in hand. Visitors report cold spots on warm days in the surrounding forest and apparitions standing in the windows of locked and abandoned houses. One house is said to be haunted by the wife of another woodcutter who passed away yet is quite territorial and protective of her former home. Voices and footsteps of former keepers are heard inside the lighthouse tower. In the lifesaving stations, the sounds of phantom crews readying for a possible rescue mission are sometimes audible. Rangers and visitors have heard the men’s shouts and conversations. A female ranger taking a shower heard sounds of male voices yelling “Hurry up! Hurry up!” Yet she knew she was the only person in the building. One resident of the old lifesaving building had a recliner that she closed up religiously every night. But often in the mornings, the chair would be open again. One male ranger woke up one night to see ghostly children jumping up and down on his bed, laughing. http://glenarborsun.com/mysterious-madness-and-intrigue-of-the-manitou-passage/ SS VALLEY CAMP (SAULT STE. MARIE) BACKGROUND: Valley Camp was launched in Lorain, Ohio, in 1917 as the Louis W. Hill for the National Steel Corporation. She sailed for this company for 38 years hauling iron ore and coal until 1955 when she was sold to the Wilson Marine Transit Company. It was in this fleet that she received her current name. For this company she carried a wider array of bulk goods including grains and stone. Valley Camp was a member of the Wilson Fleet only until 1959 when the Republic Steel Corporation bought her and several of her Wilson fleetmates, including her identical sister ship Silver Bay. Republic kept Valley Camp's name, and for that company she hauled iron ore and coal to their mills in Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Indiana Harbor, Indiana. In 1966, Valley Camp made her last voyage. Her age was not an issue in her retirement, but a major problem with a coal-burning boiler was, Her twin, Silver Bay, went on to sail until the early 1980s. Purchased by Le Sault de Sainte Marie Historical Sites, Inc., for $10,000, the ship was towed from Wisconsin to Sault Ste. Marie on July 6, 1968, during Sault Ste. Marie's tri-centennial celebration. Visitors have the opportunity to explore and look in every nook and cranny of the ship. In addition, the cargo hold houses hundreds of artifacts, paintings, shipwreck items, models, two lifeboats from the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, and exhibits of objects related to maritime history. PHENOMENA: Visitors report an  eerie feeling of being followed, and hearing disembodied voices when they are near certain exhibits. One night, a coughing sound was heard in the coal furnace area. When an investigator inquired about the sound, a voice was recorded saying “I am coughing”. Shadowy figures are sometimes seen on the deck at night. TERRACE INN & 1911 RESTAURANT (PETOSKEY) BACKGROUND: The Terrace Inn was built in 1910 and opened June 25, 1911. The inn is a Michigan Historic Landmark and a member of Bay View Association. A group of Methodists from Jackson, Michigan chose Bay View for a tent camp in 1875 and the Victorian cottages see today were built by the 1880's. established in 1875 by a group of Methodists from Jackson, Michigan. Hotel amenities in 1911 touted indoor plumbing, "hot food served hot and cold food served cold", electricity and call bells. Early documents stated electricity was turned off at sun down and "late stay-uppers" took kerosene lamps to their room. PHENOMENA:  It is haunted by  a ghostly lady in white who wanders the halls and rooms, a man in a tweed suit looking over the balcony at the front of the hotel and a young boy of 11 or 12 in the basement who sometimes interacts with guests. People have seen the apparitions of all three along with hearing disembodied voices and phantom footsteps. One guest was awakened at 2 or 3 am by the sound of hammering and could not fall back asleep. The same guest joined friends in the lobby when they heard the sound of piano music. The lobby does have two pianos but there was no one sitting at them at that particular time. TRAVERSE CITY STATE HOSPITAL (TRAVERSE CITY) BACKGROUND: Northern Michigan Asylum was established in 1881 as the demand for a third psychiatric hospital, in addition to those established in Kalamazoo and Pontiac, began to grow. Lumber baron Perry Hannah, "the father of Traverse City," used his political influence to secure its location in his home town. Under Dr. James Decker Munson, the first superintendent from 1885 to 1924, the institution expanded. Twelve housing cottages and two infirmaries were built between 1887 and 1903 to meet the specific needs of male and female patients. The institution became the city's largest employer and contributed to its growth. The asylum farm began in 1885 with the purchase of some milk cows and within a decade grew to include pigs, chickens, milk and meat cows, and many vegetable fields. In the 1910s-30s, the farm was home to a world champion milk cow, Traverse Colantha Walker. Her grave is at the end of the dirt trail between the farm and the asylum. Use of the hospital slowly declined, and it was closed in 1989, with a loss of over 200 jobs to the local economy.  Several redevelopment plans were proposed, but nothing came to fruition until 2000, when the Minervini Group began negotiating with the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Corporation and secured an agreement to renovate the historic buildings. PHENOMENA: The grounds are the location of what has long been called, the "Hippy Tree," which legend states is a portal to Hell. Visitors have reported seeing ghosts, the sensation of an unseen presence with them and dramatic changes in the atmosphere. Disembodied voices have been heard coming from abandoned buildings along with phantom footsteps and unexplained lights. It’s claimed a priest hanged himself in the chapel when he was driven to his death by dark forces. Some say construction workers have encountered apparitions on the grounds and in some cases, refused to return to work. THE WHITNEY (DETROIT) BACKGROUND: The house was built between 1890 and 1894 by a prominent lumber baron, David Whitney Jr., who was considered not only one of Detroit's wealthiest personalities, but also one of Michigan's wealthiest citizens. The house is estimated to have cost US$400,000 (equal to $11,583,077 today) and it was featured in several newspapers of that time. The Tiffany glass windows have been estimated to be worth more than the house itself. The house was the first residence in Detroit to have a functioning elevator for personal use. PHENOMENA: Dating back to the renovations in the mid-1980s, there have been rumored occurrences of supernatural activities on all three floors of the Whitney house. The causes of these events have been linked to the story of David Whitney Jr. and his wife both dying inside the mansion. To this day, some people believe that the ghost of David Whitney Jr. haunts the Whitney mansion. One of the most haunted areas in the house appears to be the elevator. There are reports of it moving on its own between the floors without any passengers. Other unexplained apparitions have been reported on the second and third floors. One evening at closing, a staff member witnessed an older gentleman gazing out of the second floor dining room window; when he was asked to leave, the figure simply vanished into the floor. Reports by the mansion's staff members of sounds of utensils being stacked and table settings being moved all on their own, have only added to the mystery of the Whitney mansion. TRIVIA: The mansion was featured on SYFY channel's Ghost Hunters. BACK TO TO PARANORMAL DATABASE