Haunted Places Archives - Lost In Michigan

Sturgeon Point lighthouse and the Legend of the Native American Spirit

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

The cape cod style Sturgeon Point lighthouse was built in 1869 after it was determined there needed to be a lighthouse between Tawas and Alpena’s Thunder Bay. The brick tower stands 70 feet tall and has a 3.5 order Fresnel lens that was originally installed at Oswego New York. Sturgeon Point is one of a few lighthouses left on the great lakes still using a Fresnel Lens.

Legend has it if you press your ear to the lighthouse’s tower, you may hear the echoes of a Native American man that fell inside the tower. The story goes that he was ascending the tower when he caught his foot on the cast iron circular staircase, hanging himself upside down. When he died, his soul entered the staircase’s suspension pole. Sometimes visitors can still hear his cries for help.

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Pere Cheney Cemetery

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Haunted Places .

I visited the Pere Cheney cemetery several years ago when I started Lost In Michigan. I happened to be in the area so I figured I should stop by and see how it looks since I visited last. I was happy to see a stone monument near the entrance with a little bit of history of the town that is now gone. I also saw a lot of coins and trinkets left by visitors so the old remote and secluded graveyard must receive a lot of visitors.

The town of Pere Cheney was started in 1873 by George Chaney about 15 miles southeast of Grayling. The town’s population grew to about 1500 people but two epidemics of Diptheria in 1893 and 1897 killed most of its citizens.

Most of the headstones in the cemetery are gone and of the few remaining some have toppled over or been vandalized. The tallest monument in the old graveyard is for Frank and Frances Barber’s children.

Hattie, Ray, and Roy all died in December of 1893. That must have been a terrible Christmas for Frank and Frances and the entire town of Pere Chaney as death swept through the northern Michigan town.

If you want to know more about Pere Chaney you can see my post about the infamous town HERE or in Volume 1 of my Lost In Michigan book series where I give detailed information on how to find the Cemetery. You can order them from Amazon HERE

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The Haunted Library

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Library .

Some claim that this historic library in Belding is haunted. They do not know who it is that haunts the Alvah N. Belding Library, but according to the internets when doing a little googling some say that they have heard children laughing in the children’s section when nobody is around. I don’t know about this place being haunted but it is a beautiful old building. The historical marker out front proudly tells some of its history.

Alvah N. Belding erected this library in 1917/18 as a memorial to his parents, Hiram and Mary Wilson Belding. Alvah and his brother Hiram began peddling silk around Belding (then Patterson’s Mills) in 1858. With the help of their brother Milo they began the internationally known Belding Bros. & Company in 1863. Michigan’s first silk mill was erected here in 1886 and operated until 1932. This library, which cost $50,000, was dedicated and presented to the City of Belding on May 14, 1918. It is the only structure built by the Beldings still being used for its original purpose. An example of Classical Revival architecture, the limestone structure features a Spanish-tile roof. Its interior contains trim of marble oak and pine.

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Secrets of the Octagon House in Dansville

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Historic Places, Houses .

This oddly shaped two-story octagon house stands near downtown Dansville. The small town is on M-36 about 25 miles southeast of Lansing. The historic octagon house was built in 1863 by Doctor. D.J. Watson. Rumors have claimed the house was used on the Underground Railroad. Legend has it, escaping slaves would hide in the basement while lookouts stood watch in the cupola. There was a tube that ran down the cent of the house for the lookouts to alert the slaves. If they needed to escape supposedly a tunnel leading out the back of the house to a wooded area whey they could leave undetected. None of the rumors have been proven to be true. A tube did run from the cupola to the basement but it was used for ventilation. It was also believed a tunnel was in the basement, but that had lead to a garage that is gone now.

Rumors are also circulating that the house is haunted by the spirits of runaway slaves that may have died in the house. But they are probably just imaginative ghost stories to go along with the Underground Railroad theories. Whether or not the house was used on the Underground Railroad, it is a unique house that has stood since the time of the Civil War. It is one of only a few Octagon Houses standing in Michigan.

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Haunted Michigan Road Trip

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

If you want to take a road trip around the Great Lakes State to visit some haunted and historic places I put together a list of locations I have visited. I think you will find them fascinating and a little spooky. If you chose to visit remember some of the places are privately owned and please follow any posted signs and rules. Be respectful and do not trespass.

Click on the link to read a little more about each place. You can find more info and exact locations in the Lost in Michigan books available on Amazon HERE

1a Eagle Harbor Lighthouse

1b Calumet Theater

2 Big Bay Lighthouse

3 Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse

4 Old Presque Isle Lighthouse

5 Grand Traverse Lighthouse

6 Traverse City State Hospital

7 Pere Cheney Cemetery

8 White River Lighthouse

9 Anchor Inn

10 Potter Street Depot

11 Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse

12 Kalamazoo Civic Auditorium

13 Witches Ball

14 Felt Mansion

15 Holly Hotel

16a Fort Wayne Detroit

16b Masonic Temple Detroit

16c Eloise asylum

17 Starkweather Hall

18 McCourtie Park

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Michigan’s Creepy Hill Babies

Posted on September 19, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Haunted Places .

I have driven all around Michigan but this has to be the creepiest thing I have seen. I saw these old abandoned dolls with a sign that reads HILL BABIES next to M-33 between Fairview and Comins.

I don’t know how these misfit dolls ended up here or who created it but it sure is creepy looking. They remind me of Sid’s room in the movie Toy Story. I do like these interesting pieces of roadside art. It breaks up a long and monotonous drive.

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The Haunted Cadillac House

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

The Cadillac House was built in 1860 and is one of the oldest hotels in Michigan. It stands in the small port town of Lexington along the Lake Huron shoreline about 30 miles north of Port Huron. It stands to reason that an old hotel with several rooms have had a guest or two die in one of the rooms. That is believed to be the case for paranormal investigators who claim the old hotel is home to spirits who have checked in but never checked out.

One of the ghosts has been given the name George. He is believed to be a guest that was murdered and his spirit is trapped inside the hotel until his killer has been brought to justice. Another theory is that he likes the broiled chicken and hangs out for his final meal. I am not sure if any if it is true or if the old hotel is haunted but I do know if you are traveling along M-25 along the Lake Huron shoreline the beautiful little town of Lexington is a great place to visit. While you are there be sure to check out the historic Cadillac House and tell George hello.

P.S. Yes I had US-23, I had a brain fart. I was thinking the road that run’s along Lake Huron north of Tawas, I forgot M-25 runs along the shoreline in the Thumb

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Saginaw River Lighthouse

Posted on August 27, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

The Saginaw River lighthouse stands about a mile from the mouth of the river. The lighthouse works in conjunction with a beacon closer to the mouth. When sailors in the Saginaw Bay align the two lights they know they are in the channel entering the river. The Saginaw River lighthouse was one of the first lights to use this “range” technique.

The lighthouse has been decommissioned for years and is currently owned by Dow and is surrounded by property owned by the company. Visitors are not permitted to visit the lighthouse except for special occasions like the Tall Ship Celebrations.

Coasties who were stationed at the lighthouse before it was abandoned have said they have heard strange noises while living in the old building. You can read more about the hauntings in my post HERE

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The Haunted Allegan Jail

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

This old brick building in downtown Allegan was used as the Sheriff’s residence and jail from 1906 until the new jail was constructed in 1968. The front is the sheriff’s home where he lived with his family and the rear is the jail cells with solitary confinement in the basement. The old jail has been converted into a museum for visitors to experience what it was like for the sheriff and people arrested in the early 1900s.

People have claimed to see and hear strange things in the old jail. Most notably the basement where the most hardened of criminals were kept. A strange presence is felt and a streak of light has been seen floating in the air around the solitary confinement cell. In the sheriff’s residence an apparition of a woman has been seen. Some believe it is the ghost of one of the former sheriff’s wife. Maybe she is still cooking and cleaning for the inmates in the afterlife like she did when she lived in the residence.

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The Purple Gang’s Ghost

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Murders .

The Doherty Hotel in downtown Clare opened in 1924. The historic hotel has entered guests for almost a century, but one infamous day in 1938 has tied the hotel to the notorious Purple Gang. The gang was based out of Detroit but always looking for ways to expand their income. With the booming automobile business and the need for oil, some members of the Purples came to the Mt. Pleasant and Clare region to capitalize on the black gold that lay trapped deep in the ground.

Oil investor Carl “Jack” Livingston had a disagreement with his business partner and attorney Isaiah Leebove who was a Purple Gang associate. Convinced Leebove was going to have the Purple Gang kill him, Livingston shot and killed Leebove in the taproom at the Doherty Hotel. Some claim his spirit has never left and haunts the room today. I am not sure if the haunting is true, but I do know the Purple Gang had many connections to Michigan and the stores still linger today.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

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