Haunted Places Archives - Lost In Michigan

Michigan’s Oldest Inn

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 Keeper of the White River Lighthouse

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

William Robinson was appointed as the first keeper of the White River Lighthouse at the mouth of the White River North of Muskegon. After it was built in 1871 keeper Robinson and his wife Sarah moved into the little brick house where they raised their 13 children. William Robinson was the head keeper for 47 years and the Lighthouse board decided since he was 87 years old that the assistant keeper take over the duties of maintaining the lighthouse. Before Assistant keeper, William Bush, who was Robinson’s grandson officially became the head keeper, William peacefully died in the lighthouse that he loved and worked at for so many years. It is said that he and his wife’s spirit still remain at the lighthouse watching over it. Now I am not sure if it’s haunted but while I was there walking around taking photos of the tan brick lighthouse It sounded like footsteps in the snow. I kept turning around expecting to see someone but no one was there. I think it was just the chunks of ice in the river bumping into each other from the waves but I have to admit it was a strange experience. The lighthouse was deactivated in the 60s and is now a museum.

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The Legend of Lakeville Cemetery

Posted on October 26, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Haunted Places .

The community of Lakeville is located between Oxford and Romeo. It is there that you will find one of the oldest cemeteries in the state that was started in 1846. One of the earliest burials was Private Derrick Hulick, a veteran of the American Revolution who enlisted in the New Jersey militia in June 1776.

At the side of the cemetery is a mausoleum dug into the hillside. It is for James and Elizabeth Dunn, who ran a local sawmill in the early 1890s. James passed in 1930, Elizabeth in 1952. There are several urban legends and myths surrounding the old tomb. On suggests that a young teen couple was dared to spend the night in the tomb and died overnight. Another is that a teen girl was locked inside and she died while clawing at the door trying to escape. And another is that an axe murderer hid bodies in the tomb.

While there is no proof that any of this is true the urban legends continues to live on. I did not see any strange events or spirits when I visited. I thought it was a beautiful historic cemetery with an old and interesting stone mausoleum in the hillside.

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The Spirits of Quaker Cemetery

Posted on October 12, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Haunted Places .

concealed in the woods at the end of an unmarked two-track trail is the old Quaker Cemetery. It is in a desolate section a few miles south of Nashville. No, not that Nashville, known for country music, but Nashville Michigan.

Eli Lapham, a Quaker minister, settled the area in 1837. After a sawmill was constructed the area grew in population with people of the Quaker faith. over time the trees were cut down. The swampy area was not good for farming so the Quakers had left leaving behind a small cemetery on a hill.

Sadly many of the headstones are broken. I am not sure if it is due to the ravages of time or vandals, probably a little bit of both. Some say the surrounding woods are haunted by the spirits whose graves have been forgotten. It has been said that you can see spirits among the trees watching visitors. I did not see anyone or anything mysterious. It was sad to see the condition that some of the headstones are in. The old cemetery does seem to have been remembered by the local historical society. A new historical marker stands at the site and the grass was mowed. Maybe the spirits are a little more content and do not bother visitors as long as they behave themselves.

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The Hippie Trees at the Haunted Asylum

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

Hidden deep in the woods is a magical place with colorfully painted trees. I am not sure where the line between art and graffiti is but I know when I visited the Hippie Trees it sure felt like art with its spellbinding array of colors and I was expecting to see H R Pufnstuf jump out of the woods.

The Hippie Trees can be found in the woods behind the old state hospital in Traverse City that has been renovated into shops, offices, and apartments. It is now known as The Village At Grand Travers Commons. The commons own the property behind the old hospital, but there is a sign stating that its labyrinth of hiking trails is open to the public if they are respectful of the property. The Hippie Trees are near the middle of the property. There is parking behind the water tower with a map posted. Or you could hike from the historic Barns Park south of the commons near Silver Lake Road.

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The Haunted Ghost Town of Iva

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Haunted Places .

I found out about the old town of Iva north of Hemlock, in Richland Township, on the corner of Iva and Dice roads and I had to take a trip to see it since I don’t live far away. (Click HERE, if you wanna know where I live). I was expecting to find a few houses, but when I got there, I found this beautiful old building that looked like it used to be a general store. According to records, the post office in Iva opened December 7th 1894 with John F. Shovan as its first postmaster. The post office closed in October of 1904. I could not find any other information about the town, but I can only assume it was another lumbering town that existed until the trees were gone, and then the lumberjacks moved away becoming a farming community. I would think some of the residence of Iva who died are buried in the cemetery on Dice Road.

The general store was featured in a documentary by Haunted Saginaw HERE

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The Haunted Marquette Lighthouse

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

The big red Lighthouse that proudly stands at the entrance to the harbor was built in 1865. It is now maintained by the Marquette Maritime Museum which also gives tours of the historic lighthouse. On different occasions, tour guides and visitors have seen a ghost of a little girl wearing a 1910s style dress. Sometimes she is seen staring out of the window over Lake Superior or on the catwalk around the Lantern. She seems to like showing her spirit to women and other children.

There was no reported death of a little girl at the lighthouse, however, there was a young daughter of a keeper who was badly injured when she fell on the rocks at the shoreline. Interestingly it happened shortly after the turn of the century. I don’t know if the lighthouse is haunted, but strangely a lot of lighthouse keepers have resigned their duties abruptly while serving at the big red lighthouse. Be sure to check it out next time you are in Marquette.

If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my new Lighthouse book HERE

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Michigan’s Haunted Mouth Cemetery

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Haunted Places .

Near the mouth of the White River not far from Montague is an old cemetery. The cemetery’s name comes from the fact that it is near the mouth of the river. The oldest known burial in the cemetery dates back to 1851, but there are unmarked graves that date back even further. It’s said that an Indian village existed at the mouth of the river a long time ago. An attack by an enemy tribe killed off most of the villagers and some of their remains lay buried in the old cemetery.

People have claimed to hear footsteps following them around the cemetery and when they turn around to see who it would be there is nobody there. Others say that strange mists and screams come from the surrounding woods. It is an old cemetery and one of the most famous residents is William Robinson. the former White River lighthouse keeper who is said to haunt the old lighthouse not far from the cemetery. you can read my post about it HERE

There is also an urban legend about a young man who sat in a chair that existed in the old cemetery. It was exactly one year after he sat in the chair that he died in a car accident. It was said that many people came to the cemetery to sit in the infamous chair but it has been removed.

When I visited nothing strange happened. It was a little overgrown, but a beautiful old cemetery. I did notice a rather unique looking headstone in the back with face masks of the husband and wife to mark their final resting place.

If you visit, please be respectful so that it will remain open to visitors.

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Walker Tavern Murder Room

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Murders .

The historic walker tavern was built in 1832 on what is now the corner of US-12 am M-50 in southern Michigan. It was a popular stagecoach stop and later a tourist attraction for people traveling by automobile. In 1922 the tavern was sold to Fredrick Hewitt and he was known to embellish stories to attract motorists traveling through the area. Upstairs he claimed that a wealthy cattleman was murdered in one of the rooms. During the night he disappeared and a large bloodstain remained on the floor. Hewitt decorated the room with western artifacts and allowed tourists to see the room. No paper documents confirmed the death but it is an interesting story of one of Michigan’s oldest taverns.

The tavern is now a museum and is part of Cambridge Junction State Historic Park.

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The Ghost in the Dompierre House

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, upper peninsula .

I was roaming around the town of Michigamme in the Upper Peninsula and I saw a sign for the Dompierre House. It is an old log cabin that sits on the Michigamme Historical Society property. I walked up to the house and took a few pics then looked in the upper left window and my heart literally skipped a beat. I thought I saw a ghost but then realized it was a mannequin standing in front of the window. The historical society was closed when I was there so when I got back home I looked up some info on the old house and I am thinking it is probably haunted after what I had learned.

The original builder of the house was the Michigamme Mining Company and was one of the first structures in town. It has two entry doors because it was most likely a duplex when it was built. In 1896, Napoleon Beauvais purchased the home from the Mining Company. He and his wife, Julia Cadair Beauvias, moved in. Unfortunately, in 1903, Beauvais’ son from his first marriage attacked Julia and then killed himself. Julia was able to summon help before she died herself. The home remained vacant until 1916 when Eusebe Dompierre purchased the home for his daughter and her family for $200 which would be about $4560 today. The home remained in the Dompierre family until it was moved to its present location and restored in 2000.

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