Haunted Places Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Iron Bars of Boyne Falls

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Parks .

I see a lot of interesting things at local parks around Michigan. From historic monuments to old locomotives but the park in Boyne Falls has some old jail cells on dislplay. They go back to the lumbering days when they needed to incarcerate rowdy lumberjacks. It is rather strange to see them in a park but they are an interesting piece of history. I know I would not want to be inside when those iron bars slam shut and the lock is put on them.

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The Haunted Sage Library

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Library .

Near the Historic Midland Street district in Bay City is the magnificent brick Sage Library. A green Michigan historical marker stands in front of it giving a little history of the building.

Henry W. Sage (1814-1897) founded the village of Wenona (later West Bay City) in 1863. A merchant and philanthropist, he was also a founder of the Sage, McGraw & Company sawmill. In 1881 he donated property, building funds and $10,000 for books to West Bay City for its first public library. The structure was built in 1882-1883 at a cost of nearly $50,000. Charles Babcock of Cornell University designed the French Chateauesque-style building, and the local architectural firm of Pratt & Koeppe superintended the construction. The library was dedicated on January 16, 1884, in a ceremony presided over by Cornell’s Moses Coit Tyler. Michigan Supreme Court judges, congressmen and state officials attended. Offering continuous public library service since 1884, the library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

What the sign does not tell, is that the historic building is rumored to be haunted. According to the book Haunted Bay City, Michigan the library has had some strange occurrences over the years. Librarians have sometimes heard loud heavy footsteps behind them as they work. After turning around no one is there. When closing up at night all the books are neatly organized and in the morning sometimes a few books are found strewn about as if a storm or something, or someone has moved them in a disorderly manner. Most disturbing is people have seen a little girl in a white dress on the third floor. Legend has it she died over a century ago by contracting smallpox from a book she borrowed from the library.

I am not sure if any of the ghost sightings are true but it is a beautiful old library with a lot of history.

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Michigan’s Urban Legend of Hell’s Bridge

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

Northwest of Rockford this rickety old metal footbridge crosses the Rogue River and has been dubbed as Hell’s Bridge. Urban legend has it that this is the spot where a man killed several children you can hear their screams at night and see their faces in the water of the flowing river. I have read different variations of the legend on the internets but As the story goes, In the 1800s, a man by the name of Elias Friskie who lived near the river either kidnapped children or was asked to watch a group of children. He took them down to the river where the current metal bridge crosses it. they say he was summoned by a demon to murder the innocent children. Either he buried their bodies under leaves near the river, or threw them into the river to be carried downstream. When the townspeople of Rockford began looking for the children they found Elias Friskie covered in blood and hanged him from a bridge over the Rogue River.

That is the gist of the urban legend. I am not sure how true it is or if any of it is true. I looked for Elias Friskie on www.findagrave.com but I did not see him listed on there or anywhere else. I am thinking he was a fictional person and a story created to scare the local teenagers and it has grown over time and especially on the internet. I think the name of Elias Friske was taken from Friskie Road which is where the trail to access the bride state from.

I stopped by and visited the legendary bridge, but did not see or witness anything out of the ordinary other than the graffiti on the tree. From what I could tell it looks as if it is a spot where you could launch a canoe or kayak. There is a small parking lot with a bulletin board, although nothing was posted on it. It looked like it was meant for public access, but there are houses around so I did not wander off the trail because I assume the surrounding property is private. I am guessing years ago the local teenagers hung out and partied at the remote spot on the river and that is how the legend of Hell’s Bridge began.

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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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