Category Archives: Haunted Places

The Ghosts of Detroit’s Haunted Ft Wayne

Posted on by Posted in Detroit, Haunted Places .
Decaying officers house at Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne in Detroit has a long history that spans several decades since it was built in the 1840s Many of the buildings have been abandoned by the army and left to decay. A non-profit group has been working on saving the old fort and its many structures from the ravages of time.

During my visit, a tour guide told me of some of the hauntings on the historic property. He pointed to a tunnel that leads to a gun and cannon location and said ” That is one of the most haunted places in the fort” He said a few years ago some workers were taking a lunch break. They decided to get out of the summer heat and sat in the old tunnel to eat their lunch. The men went running out of the tunnel and have never been back to the old fort. When they were asked what happened they said while sitting down and eating their lunch a civil war soldier in full uniform came out of the stone wall. He slowly walked passed them and down the tunnel without saying a word before disappearing into thin air.


The fort has never seen a battle or fired any guns or cannons at an enemy. Many soldiers trained at the fort during the Civil War. A few died and were buried on the fort grounds. Eventually to make room for expansion of the fort the headstones and bodies were moved to a nearby cemetery down the road.

The old fort hosts ghost tours in the fall. They are extremely popular and you need to reserve your spot in advance. you can find out more about them HERE

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Michigan’s Haunted Hospital

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Many claim this old hospital built in 1927 is haunted. It sits abandoned on a hill where the Prairie River and the Rocky River meet in the southwest Michigan town of Three Rivers. The hospital closed in 1987 after a newer one replaced it. Many people say the old hospital is haunted, and I can only imagine over the years it has seen its share of heartbreak and tragedy. I suppose it has also seen joy and happiness with several babies being born and lives saved.

I have no idea of what the inside looks like since it is boarded up, and signs warn against trespassing. It is in an idyllic setting on a hill overlooking the river and next to a city park. I assume because of its location it has survived the wrecking ball for so long with the hopes of reutilizing it like the Traverse City State Hospital. The structure sits empty with plans on renovating it into apartments. If spirts do reside in the old hospital they do have a nice view of the river.

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A Haunting on Blood Road

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Heading home from Detroit on 75, the expressway suddenly became a parking lot, and I hate sitting in traffic, so I got off and headed north on M24. I somehow ended up going down Blood Road near Metamora, I remember reading about it being haunted in the book Weird Michigan. Searching Google I found several rumors and legends of witchcraft and satanic worship, it is said that during the witch trials people migrated to the area in the 1600’s, there is also a story about a man that murdered his wife and the body was dumped into the swamp and at night the swamp turns red. Urban legend has I that if you drive down the road at night the branches of the trees fall behind you and the road will turn red. But the most logical thing I found was someone said the road has a lot of clay in it, and when it rains the road turns red, and the puddles look like blood. Of course, everything I found was on the internets, so it has to be true. Besides who doesn’t love a good urban myth, and the road is named Blood Road.

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The Haunted Wedding Cake House

Posted on by Posted in Haunted Places, Houses .

One of the first posts I did when I started Lost In Michigan was the Richard C. Burtis house in Watrouseville. It is affectionately called the “Wedding Cake House” by the locals. I never knew this house existed I was just out roaming the back roads in the thumb and came upon it. My discovery has inspired me to keep traveling the back roads looking for other interesting places.

The house was built in1879 for Richard C. Burtis, a shoemaker and one of the area’s most prominent landowners. He built the house as a gift for his wife. The current owners have been working to restore the old house. They have said strange things have been happening in the home since they have lived in it. The house will be featured on an upcoming episode of a Travel Channel show called the Ghost Brothers. You can find out more about the house on their facebook page HERE

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Rolling Up Hill near Rose City

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Near the town of Rose City, there is a road where you stop and put your car in neutral, and it will roll uphill. I heard about a few roads in Michigan with these “Gravity Hills” where gravity seems to work backwards.

While I was near Rose City, I had to check out the hill on Reasner Road, I was not sure what part of the road the hill was on until I came near the end of the road, and saw a sign that said ” Do Not Stop, Do Not Go Backwards” well they put up a sign telling someone not to do it, I could not resist the temptation of going to jail just to try out the gravity hill. I figure the deer on the side of the road would not mind either, so I put the jeep in neutral, and it sure felt like I was going uphill. Now I know gravity does not work backwards, and its more of an optical illusion, but it sure seemed like I broke Issac Newtons Laws.

I can’t tell you to do it, because you are probably breaking some sort of motor vehicle laws, but I thought I would share my experience with you, I hope there is wifi in jail if they come to arrest me so I can keep posting more pics.

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Michigan’s Oldest and Possibly Haunted Inn

Posted on by Posted in Haunted Places, Iconic Buildings .

It was a long trip for people traveling by stagecoach between Chicago and Detroit. A popular stopping point was the National House Inn located in Marshall Michigan. The Inn was built in 1835 by Colonel Andrew Mann who used lumber from the Ketchum sawmill and bricks that were molded and fired on the site. The building was a popular rest stop for weary travelers and when the railroad came through town many passengers disembarked to dine at the inn.

When the railroad began using dining and sleeping the old inn no longer had the guests it once had. By 1878, it was converted into a factory for windmill and wagon parts. In the early 1900s, it was converted into apartments. During the 1970s the historic inn was renovated and restored back to its original use.

Like many old buildings with a long history, some say it is haunted. I am sure over the years there have been a few tragic events that occurred inside its brick walls. One can only imagine what has taken place since it was constructed almost two centuries ago. It’s believed to be a stop for escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad. I am not sure about it being haunted, but it is a fascinating old building in one of Michigan’s most historic towns. Today it is a quaint little Inn for guests to step back into time and relax.

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The Haunted Lighthouse in the Thumb

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The first Lighthouse built on Point Aux Barques near the tip of the Thumb guided sailors and ships across Lake Huron after it was built in 1847. It withstood the Michigan storms and even survived the Great Fire of 1881 because the men of the life-saving station created a bucket brigade to douse the flames surrounding the lighthouse. Two years after the lighthouse was constructed first the Lighthouse keeper died. Peter Shook and three other sailors drowned when their boat capsized while sailing to Port Huron for supplies and in 1849. His wife Catherine Shook became Michigan’s first female lightkeeper. They had 8 children and she cared for them while maintaining the lighthouse. Some say that her spirit still roams the shoreline in a white dress mourning the loss of her husband.

The original lighthouse and dwelling were replaced in 1857 with the present 89-foot tower and attached house. In 1908, the brick assistant keeper’s house was built. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1934. Five years later the last keeper retired, and the lifesaving station, made up of 15 buildings was decommissioned. The light is still used as an aid to navigation today but the house is used as a museum.

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Historic Holmdene Hall, Is It Haunted?

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Haunted Holmdene Hall Grand Rapids Michigan
Holmdene Hall at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids was originally built as a family home for  Edward Lowe and his family in 1903. He was such a prominent member of Grand Rapids society that President Theodore Roosevelt stayed there when he visited Grand Rapids for a speech in 1911. In 1945, the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids bought the estate and moved Aquinas College to the estate from its site downtown. The mansion served as the main offices and classroom building for about 10 years while new construction expanded the college.

Students and staff have reported strange events in the old mansion. Like lights mysteriously turning on and off. The elevator seems to be operating as if someone was in it when there is no one inside. Others say doors slam shut on their own. There is also a rumor that Mr. Lowe’s son, James drowned in a pond on the property, or that he fell down a dumbwaiter shaft and died, but that is not true. He moved to San Francisco and became a successful businessman and died at the age of 65.

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The Haunted Mansion in New Zebedee

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If you are wondering where New Zebedee Michigan is located you are not alone because I never heard of it also. I was watching the movie The House With The Clock In Its Walls.  and at the beginning of the movie, a young boy was traveling on a bus to live with his uncle in New Zebedee. I had to find out where it’s located and to my surprise, it is a fictional town in a book inspired by a real town.  John Bellairs, born in 1938, grew up in Marshall Michigan. He wrote the book inspired by an old house in his hometown. The Cronin House (Pictured in this post) is located down the street from the high school. Bellairs went past this house going to and from school every day. Sadly Bellairs died in 1991, but he did inspire me to take a trip to Marshall to see this old house. There is a lot more to the story but I am thinking that may be for the next Lost In Michigan book.

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The Haunted House in Mid Michigan

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Haunted Places, Houses .

Narcissa Paige the owner of the Paige House hotel in St. Louis, built this mansion in 1884. Her contractor, Mr. Leach, built Col. Elwell’s “castle” down Delaware Street at the same time.  you can see my post about it HERE I read somewhere that the tower on the house was built so Narcissa could see her hotel from it. Mrs. Page’s daughter Lillian lived with her, and she married George Charles who owned a drug store downtown. Sadly George passed away at an early age of 44, and soon after Lillian’s mother died at the age of 80 years old, leaving Lillian to live in the house alone for almost 50 years.

People think there is a tombstone in front of the house, but it is actually a carriage stone with the name Paige on it. A carriage stone served as a stepping stone to help passengers as they climbed in and out of carriages. They were popular back in the horse and buggy days of the 19th century.

There are stories of the house being haunted and Susan Wood who lived in the house with her family was kind enough to message me about living there. She told that she never felt the house was “haunted” but she felt that Lillian’s spirit was still present in the house. “Locked doors opened and closed on their own, things would come up missing only to found in a totally random place a few days later, you could hear her moving up and down the massive staircase as the steps would creak.” The house has been vacant for years and the neighbors have said they have seen a woman in the window and have heard piano music come from inside the house.

As far as I know, the house is still privately owned, so please do not trespass and be respectful, I know I should not have to say it, but there still are a few people out there that don’t think very well and do stupid things.

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