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.

This is one of the many locations in my Lost In Michigan books which you can order  HERE, Thank you to everyone who got one, your support means the world to me.

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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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John Hirst built this extravagant hotel in 1891, and with over 25 trains a day stopping in the town of Holly where it still stands today it must have been a busy place. It was known as the Hirst Hotel until he sold it to Joseph P. Allen in 1912 who renamed it the Holly Hotel. About a year after Mr. Allen purchased the hotel, a devastating fire destroyed the upper floor.  He rebuilt the hotel with some changes to the roof because of the fire. After decades of guests, Prohibition and the Great Depression, the hotel suffered another fire in 1978 exactly 65 years to the day from the first fire on January 19th. The remains of the hotel faced a date with the wrecking ball but instead, it was painstakingly restored to its 19th-century glory. It has the distinction of being one of the few buildings in Michigan that has been serving food in three different centuries.

Employes and guests to the hotel have said that you smell cigar smoke before seeing apparitions of a man in a top hat. It’s believed to be the ghost of Mr. Hirst who was known to smoke cigars. He is not seen very often, but on many occasions, his laughter can be heard in different locations around the hotel. A former hostess of the hotel, Nora Kane’s spirit can be heard singing along with the smell of her perfume.

I am not sure if you will see a ghost at the old hotel, but it is worth a trip to Holly. It’s a beautiful downtown with old historic buildings, lovely shops, and restaurants.

Congratulations to Karen Fairbanks she is the winner of the Lighthouse calendar giveaway. Please email me mike@huronphoto.com with your shipping info. Thank you to everyone who commented. It was interesting reading your comments, so many good restaurants and many I have never been to. I will have to try some of them.

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The current owners of the Achor Inn, located near the lake in Houghton Lake, have seen spirits and many unusual things like hearing footsteps when no one else is around, doors mysteriously slamming, and faucets turning off and on by themselves. Many customers have also seen strange things while dining in the historic restaurant.  The building dates back to over a century ago when lumberjacks worked in the forest in central Michigan.  It was built as a hotel, and I can imagine over the years it has had some tragic events happen in its rooms. Local legend has it that Al Capone and the Purple Gang visited the establishment several times. During the prohibition era, the old hotel was also used as a brothel.  Now it’s a restaurant and still welcomes customers to come in and possibly experience a paranormal event while they are there.

I was gonna get some lunch while I was in the neighborhood, but they did not open until 4 pm that day. I guess I will have to go back some other time and try the food. Maybe I will get lucky and one of the resident ghosts will join me.  You can find out more about the historic place on their website HERE

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The old state hospital in Traverse City was built in 1881 and was called the Northern Michigan Asylum.  The hospital was established for the care of the mentally ill, its use expanded during outbreaks of tuberculosis, typhoid, diphtheria, influenza, and polio. It also cared for the elderly, served as a rehab for drug addicts, and was used to train nurses. The hospital closed in the 1990s and in 2000 was purchased by an investment group that has been renovating and repurposing the old buildings. The main building is now used for office space and the lower floor has some of Traverse Cities finest gift shops and restaurants.

Towards the back of the property sit some of the old dilapidated buildings still waiting to be renovated. Among the buildings, I saw this old abandoned house. I am not sure who lived there. Maybe one of the supervisors or doctors. It looked rather spooky sitting up on a hill. Some say the old asylum is one of the most haunted places in Michigan. I am sure Eugenics was practiced at the hospital, and over the years many patients have died in the buildings. One legend says that a priest had hung himself in the old chapel. Workers have said to see strange spirits and ghosts roaming the buildings.  Hiking Trails meander through the woods next to the facility and some say the area surrounding the Hippie Tree is connected to the underworld.

I have visited the old asylum many times to get something to eat and browse its many gift shops. I don’t know if it’s haunted, but it sure is amazing the transformation of the buildings over the past 15 years.

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When I say witch’s ball I am not referring to Professor McGonagall’s keg party with Spud’s MacKenzie doing butter beer shots at Hogwarts. I am talking about a real life marble sphere in Michigan that mysteriously turns on its pedestal.  In the back corner of the Memphis Cemetery, South of Memphis Michigan, is an enormous black marble spere that sits atop a granite pedestal. It marks the grave sites of the Miller family. The monument was placed in the cemetery after Eli Miller passed away in 1903. After the sphere mysteriously rotated it was given the moniker of Witch’s Ball by the locals.

Looking at the photo you notice a circle of rough marble on the 2800 pound sphere. That would have been the base when it was carved, and it was placed facing down. Over the years it has moved upward and no one has been able to explain it. Some say it’s from the freeze-thaw cycles but it highly unlikely. And it’s too heavy for someone to push it around by hand. It remains a mystery as to how it rotated.

Some believe the ball has mystical powers and if you look into it, along with your reflection you will see apparitions and other spirits reflecting back at you. Others have said they have heard strange noises coming from the woods behind the cemetery. When I visited I did not see anything unusual. It was a beautiful cemetery with a plethora of ornate old headstones.

If you visit it please be respectful and follow the cemetery rules.

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