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Is Arch Rock One of the Reasons Mackinac Island is so Haunted?

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Many legends are told of the Arch Rock on Mackinac Island and its origin. Thought to be a portal to the afterlife, many people tie the many haunted ghost stories from this little island to the legends behind this mysterious rock formation. 

In the glistening waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a serene retreat known for its picturesque beauty, historic charm, and an eerie reputation for the supernatural. In fact, Mackinac Island was called the most haunted town in America in 2021, with many stories having been covered over the years. And with only a full time population of around 583 people, the ghosts perhaps even outnumber the living. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

With no cars allowed and transportation limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, the island offers a unique step back in time. Some come to enjoy the quiet seaside and enjoy the famous fudge. The island has become a perfect summer destination for Americans, but after the tourists leave in the fall, the fog from the Straits comes rolling in, and the leaves turn color, the ghost of the island remains to haunt it. 

The Arch Rock: A place of legend on Mackinac Island. The Arch Rock are said to have been a portal to the afterlife, where spirits on the other side could come and the living could go.

A Brief History of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island’s history stretches back thousands of years, with indigenous peoples such as the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Huron considering it a sacred place long before European settlers arrived. The island’s name itself, derived from the Ojibwe word “Michilimackinac,” means “big turtle,” referring to the island’s shape when viewed from above.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Mackinac Island

The French established a fur trading post here in the 17th century, and the island later became a strategic military outpost during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In the late 19th century, it became more of a summer colony and a tourist destination that it still is. 

The Arch Rock and it’s Legends

Many believe that many hauntings on Mackinac Island come from the stored energy the island holds. Some believe that the energy is stored inside of the many limestone and quartz the state park has. One of these places is the rock formation on the east coast of the Island called Arch Rock. 

It is one of the more famous places to visit on the island, arching 140 feet above the water of Lake Huron and is more than fifty feet wide. 

It is not only in recent times that people have begun talking about energy coming from the stones. Archaeologists have found evidence for the island being inhabited since AD 900, 700 years before any European settlers put their foot on the land. 

The Legends of the Arch Rock

Over the years the rock formation took place in more than one legend. One tells of the Ottawa nation committing a shameful act once upon a time, so shameful that the Master of Life punished them for it. He sent a wind to earth, so powerful, the rocky hills trembled for a whole day, even blowing the sun away. The Ottawa nation could only watch as when the sun turned into the color of blood before falling into the island, carving a hole through it, making an arch. Ever since then, the Ottawa have kept away from the rock and not even the bravest of them all walked over it.  

The Anishinaabek natives have long roots to the island and used to believe that the Arch Rock was a portal to the afterlife. According to their belief, it worked both ways. People would be able to cross over into the spirit world, and the spirit could return to the world of the living. 

The Anishinaabe people believed the island to be the home of the Gitche Manitou, or the Great Spirit. This was said to be the first land to appear after the Great Flood, and was a gathering place for tribes who made offerings to Gitche Manitou and a burial place of tribal chiefs. 

The Legend of She-Who-Walks-Like-The-Mist

One of the famous legends comes from a book by Dirk Gringhus’s, The Lore of the Great Turtle about an Ojibwe Chief and his daughter called, She-who-walks-like-the-mist, or ‘Mist Woman’.

Misty was a beautiful woman, always smiling as she went about her chores, although she rejected every suitor giving her gifts. One day, her smile faded, and she didn’t do her chores as she used to, only sitting down and looking miserable. 

The chief wanted her married and angry that she didn’t care to make an effort. He asked her what’s the matter. She answered that she would only marry the Sky Person:

“Two moons ago…..a handsome brave appeared to me…..‘Oh, lovely one,’ he said. ‘Long have I watched you in the village wishing that you might be mine for all time. In my home, high above you, I am the son of a chief, Evening Star, and therefore, a Sky Person…..(I descended) to earth that I might ask you to join me in my sky home.’”

“You should marry no one at all then!” her father said and put her in his canoe and paddled out to the Island of Turtle Spirits we today know as Mackinac Island, already a holy place for the natives.

He took her to the rocky formation and said she had to stay there until she was ready to obey him. She didn’t fight or move, only cried, her tears turning into an arch as she mourned her loved one she didn’t believe would come. One night however, the stars shone so bright it was a ray of light through the arch and the Sky People came down for her. He picked her up and carried her home to live in the sky for all its time. 

Ties with Freemasonry

Also when the Europeans arrived, there was a lot of mysticism over the place. The mysterious Freemasonry came to the Great Lakes region in the 1700s and built lodges around the area. Mackinac Island was home to St. John’s Lodge No. 15 (1782–1813), holding meetings at the newly constructed Fort Mackinac in the rooms in the Officers Stone Quarters. 

What really happened when they arrived is unknown as there are few records of the lodge in existence.
Was it only a boys and mens club for the military people stationed there? Or something else? The second Masonic Lodge was Mackinac Lodge No. 71, operating as a so-called moon lodge, with meetings on Monday evenings on or proceeding full moons until the 1860s.

The Haunting of Mackinac Island

For those believing in the paranormal, the Arch Rock is often said to be one of the sources of whatever strange things happening on the island. Truth is, going back to before the Europeans settled here, the whole island was considered somewhat holy to the local tribes. 

This is were they came to make offerings to Gitche Manitou or the Great Spirit they believed created the island and whose home it was after the Great Flood receded. Today the island is considered to be the home of more spirits than living. 

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References:

Is Mackinac Island Haunted? The Haunts of Mackinac in 2025 – Wandering Michigan Wisconsin

Early Accounts of Arch Rock – Mackinac State Historic Parks

Arch Rock on Mackinac Island

A Bridge to Another World: Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock – MiCannaTrail 

Mackinac Island – Wikipedia 

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The Girls in Manila and the Ghost Photo

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A strange picture with almost no backstory has been circulating the internet for years by now. The mystery of who and where this is as well as what really happened when The Girls in Manila and the Ghost Photo was taken, is still not solved. 

A lot of the old analog photos taken of these alleged ghosts can easily be explained by the double exposure explanation. But as we have entered into the digital age and this no longer happens by itself, what then is showing up in the corners of our pictures?

Read More: The Mystery of the Cooper Family Falling Body Photo is Solved for more stories of the investigations on alleged ghost photos.

This was the debate going on about a strange photo that quickly became one of the more famous ghost pictures in the modern era. The Girls in Manila and the Ghost Photo has been circulating on most top creepy photos lists for decades, but what really happened when it was taken? However viral the image itself ended up becoming, the background of the image as well as the true story of it seems more elusive. 

The legend behind the picture is that it happened in Eastwood City in Manila in the Philippines sometime in 2003. Two girls out in the city at night asked a stranger to take a picture of them. The camera was with a smartphone, or as smart as a phone could be back then and being a Nokia 7250. 

The Girls in Manila and the Ghost Photo: One of the famous ghost photo’s online. It’s difficult to say what’s really going on in the picture, as the background for the image is still a mystery.

At the time the picture was taken, none of the girls noticed anything strange or the hand that showed up in the picture, grabbing one of the girl’s arms.

Now, the legend of The Girls in Manila and the Ghost Photo has traveled far, and a lot behind the legend has been lost through time as well as translation. 

Investigation into the Photograph

The first posting of the photo was made in 2003 and the Nokia model it was said to have been taken with was also released in 2003, so there is little chance that the image existed online for much longer than that. That is if we are to believe that this phone was the actual phone that took the picture in the first place. 

Although we don’t often think about it, digital pictures often lose quality when it’s been copied and pasted as well as being edited and uploaded in different places. According to some, they claim that the phone could have taken a better photo than this, and it seems to have been tampered with after being digitized and spread online.  

There is also the trend of “adding ghost templates” into pictures in apps and websites. But despite the similarity with many pictures from these apps, did something like this in 2003 that would be an exact match? Even though things look similar, there has yet to be found this. Besides, what came first, the apps doing this or the fame of the ghost picture?

The Mystery Behind the Girls in Manila and the Ghost Photo

When searching for the image, the earliest publications of the image seem to have been taken down. Most posts about it are short lists without many sources and in English. There is strangely little info about this image in the Philippines, something you would have imagined as it is so often posted globally. This begs the question, is the image even from the Philippines and Manila?

Who are the girls in the photo, do they even know about how the picture have creeped out people trying to find the answer to the hazy shadow of the third person?

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References:

Earlier Postings of the picture found by: http://anomalyinfo.com/Source/manila-ghost-photo-sources . Seems to be the one behind most of the research of the photo.

“The Unexplained,” post in the JR Video Spel Film website, posted 12-31-2000, viewed 10-17-2016. Online at: http://www.jrvideo.se/?m=200012  – This post is odd because it claims to have posted a picture from a Nokia 7250 three years before that phone was released.

“The Latest Internet Photo Claimed to be a Ghost Photo,” page in the Castle of Spirits website, posted ca. 2003 [Google sourced], viewed 10-17-2016. Online at: http://www.castleofspirits.com/handphone.html 

“Ghost in the Photo,” post in the Ghost Files website, posted ca. 2004 [Google sourced], viewed 10-17-2016. Online at: http://ghostfiles.toxicsnot.com/full-bodied-apparition/ghost-in-the-photo/ 

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The Witches of the Drowning Pool on Mackinac Island

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At the height of the witch hunts, seven Mackinac Island women were taken to trial for witchcraft. During the trial by water, all of them drowned and are now haunting the water that took their life. But how much of this elaborate ghost story is really true? And what lurks in the Drowning Pool said to be haunted by them?

In the glistening waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a serene retreat known for its picturesque beauty, historic charm, and an eerie reputation for the supernatural. In fact, Mackinac Island was called the most haunted town in America in 2021, with many stories having been covered over the years. And with only a full time population of around 583 people, the ghosts perhaps even outnumber the living. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

With no cars allowed and transportation limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, the island offers a unique step back in time. Some come to enjoy the quiet seaside and enjoy the famous fudge. The island has become a perfect summer destination for Americans, but after the tourists leave in the fall, the fog from the Straits comes rolling in, and the leaves turn color, the ghost of the island remains to haunt it. 

The Drowning Pool: Said to be haunted by witches, what is the truth beneath the tales of the haunted lagoon?

A Brief History of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island’s history stretches back thousands of years, with indigenous peoples such as the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Huron considering it a sacred place long before European settlers arrived. The island’s name itself, derived from the Ojibwe word “Michilimackinac,” means “big turtle,” referring to the island’s shape when viewed from above.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Mackinac Island

The French established a fur trading post here in the 17th century, and the island later became a strategic military outpost during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In the late 19th century, it became more of a summer colony and a tourist destination that it still is. 

The Drowning Pool

One of the most macabre stories comes from the island’s Drowning Pool, a small, seemingly innocuous body of water near the shore between Mission Point and downtown Mackinac with an ominous sounding name. Stories keep coming back about this water, told among people before finally reaching online, sometimes going viral on storytimes. 

There is plenty of lore around this little lagoon. Natives were known to have used this place for rites and rituals in the 18th century, a young native girl died there after her love for a British soldier went unrequited. According to legend she is still lingering by the pool, looking for her long lost love. Perhaps most telling is the legend that during the 1700s or early 1800s, seven women accused of witchcraft were drowned here. 

A lot of these legends would be hard to prove, but surely a huge witch trial like this would have been talked about more. Just how much of the legends are true, and is this little pool of water really haunted?

The Legend of the Seven Witches in the Drowning Pool

Back then, Fort Mackinac was a huge deal and there were a lot of brothels popping up around them. Seven of these women were said to entice the soldiers at the fort, the fur traders, as well as other’s husbands and luring them back to their house. 

One of the big tests they used on accused witches back then was the trial by water, or witch swimming test. They tied them up and threw them into the water to see if they floated or not. According to the saying, the water would repel any witches and make them float, as an direct intervention of God to show they were guilty. There are also those tying the connection water has with Jesus and his baptism and rejecting the witches from the water. If the accused sank, they were innocent. In both cases it could be a sure way to die. 

Indicium Aquae: Although not as often used as popular media will have you to believe, there were actual cases were the Trial by Water or indicium aquae’, was used to find witches. James I of England, stated in his writing in the Daemonologie (1597) “that God hath appointed … that the water shall refuse to receive them in her bosome, that have shaken off them the sacred Water of Baptisme, and wilfully refused the benefite thereof.” Here from: The ‘swimming’ of Mary Sutton (1615). The last time a suspected wizard being ‘swum’ by a mob, was in The Headingham witchcraft Case on March 15th 1864,

In this story, all women got rocks tied around their ankles and thrown into the lagoon. All seven women sank and drowned, proving their innocence, but taking their life. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories about witches

Ever since then, the Drowning Pool has been cursed by the lingering souls of the witches. Some say that they see their pale faces in the water under moonlight, or strange lights dancing over the water surface. In addition to the haunting of the Drowning Pool itself, the apparition and chilling feeling is also said to happen along or nearby Dennis O. Cawthorne Shoreline Trail.

What is the Truth Behind the Witch Trials?

But what is really true? The witch hunt was already pretty much over by the 1700s and such a big case like this would probably have garnered more sources than an abridged and vague story copy and pasted around the internet. 

In regards to the brothel side to the story, there is not much evidence or documentation that there ever existed brothels on Mackinac Island, at least any official ones. Was there prostitution? Almost certainly. Were there seven women luring men back to their home for witchcraft? More unlikely. 

But could the brothel mention just have been added as an afterthought to spruce the story up, or perhaps even the allegations? After all, not every retelling has this part with it. 

Was the pond even there back then? In fact, some say the pool of water didn’t’ exist then, but is of a more modern origin. Formed in the 90s and perhaps even the 2000 when the people behind tourism and development on the island have molded the land into their liking. Like knocking down several buildings to make a golf course and bistros to cater to the tourist. This created deep ponds formed from the resort areas to the rocky shoreline of Lake Huron. 

The Haunting of the Drowning Pool

Although there were no witches drowned there, could it be something else? What really is behind the stories of the sightings of the spirits lurking just below the surface of the Drowning Pool, only leaving us with the splashing sound of the deep murky water. 

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References:

Shedding Light on the Spirited Stories from Mackinac Island’s Mission Point – Promote Michigan

https://www.thehorrordome.com/blogs/news/from-soldiers-to-spectral-maidens-the-haunted-chronicles-of-mackinac-island?srsltid=AfmBOootX-dmsVR6t_j1cCuR-t8coTIMxuDL1sEWlV2GRa-TcS7iN3X3

Mackinac Island’s Witch Killing Drowning Pool, Is It Real?

At the Water’s Edge: The Witches Drowing Pool — Travelers Moon

Sink or Swim: The Swimming Test in English Witchcraft 

Swimming a Witch: Evidence in 17th-century English Witchcraft Trials | In Custodia Legis

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The Native and Métis Children Haunting the Mission House at Mackinac Island

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Sent away from their parents and culture, native american and métis children were taught how to be a christian american at the Mission House on Mackinac Island. What happened there? And where do the ghost stories come from?

In the glistening waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a serene retreat known for its picturesque beauty, historic charm, and an eerie reputation for the supernatural. In fact, Mackinac Island was called the most haunted town in America in 2021, with many stories having been covered over the years. And with only a full time population of around 583 people, the ghosts perhaps even outnumber the living. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

With no cars allowed and transportation limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, the island offers a unique step back in time. Some come to enjoy the quiet seaside and enjoy the famous fudge. The island has become a perfect summer destination for Americans, but after the tourists leave in the fall, the fog from the Straits comes rolling in, and the leaves turn color, the ghost of the island remains to haunt it. 

Mission House: In 1825, this mission house was built at the site by a building crew led by Martin Heydenburk, a fellow missionary who was a teacher and carpenter. Today the Mission House is believed to be haunted by the indigenous children who were sent to school here. //Source: Wikimedia

A Brief History of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island’s history stretches back thousands of years, with indigenous peoples such as the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Huron considering it a sacred place long before European settlers arrived. The island’s name itself, derived from the Ojibwe word “Michilimackinac,” means “big turtle,” referring to the island’s shape when viewed from above.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Mackinac Island

The French established a fur trading post here in the 17th century, and the island later became a strategic military outpost during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In the late 19th century, it became more of a summer colony and a tourist destination that it still is. 

The Haunting of the Mission House

Today the Mission House is housing the Mackinac Island State Park employees. It was also used as a hotel from 1847 until the great depression. Then, it used to belong to The Moral Re-Alignment movement, a religious group in the early 1940s up until the 1950s. Some would perhaps call it a cult even, as they were trying to mold the morality of the world to their own liking. 

They built several buildings around Mission Point, a theater, library and even a private liberal arts college had a short lived stint. The college building, now where the Mission Point Resort is, with one of the island’s most famous ghost stories. So is the theater which is the building right next to the Mission House as well. 

But the Mission House has a much longer story than that. Before any European set foot on the island, Mackinac Island was considered a holy place for the local natives where the Great Spirit resided. Ever since the French Jesuit missionaries came here in the 1600s, it was much used by missionaries.  

The Mission House was built in 1825 by the Christian missionaries William and Amanda Ferry. William and Amanda Ferry and their associates came to Mackinac Island to transform the spiritual and temporal lives of people and especially the “heathen”. They believed that the Holy Spirit had called them to God’s service, and that God had directed them to Mackinac.

The Mission House was originally a boarding school for over 150 native American and Metis children per year. Here they were to learn English, crafts, liberal arts, about Christianity and other standards and ways of life based on New England and the American east coast way of life. The European one that is.  

The background for these types of boarding schools was to assimilate the children into European society and culture, stripping them for their Indigenous identity and making them “good little christians.” A popular motto for these types of schools was “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

Native American Boarding Schools: Between 1869 and the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Native American children were removed from their homes and families and placed in boarding schools operated by the federal government and the churches. By 1900 there were 20,000 children in Indian boarding schools, and by 1925 that number had more than tripled. Here a picture from Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Pennsylvania, c. 1900.

How was this type of school? Many of these types of schools for native children were awful, was this any different? According to some historians, it was an early version of this and the parents of the native children sent them there willingly and that they all lived together peacefully and in a friendly companionship. These type of schools often prohibited speaking their native tongue, but according to records Mission House translated the material into their language and trained them to be interpreters for 

At least 16 deaths were counted of the children according to a guide who used to live in the Mission House. They were said to die mostly due to illnesses like tuberculosis and typhoid. Although reports done on these types of schools claim there were no deceased students at Mackinac Mission School. The school operated after their own accounts, successfully for a decade. But the deportation of the tribes west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s, made it difficult for them to recruit more students.

The official reason for William Ferry’s resignation in 1834 and them moving away was a nervous breakdown. But was this true? A reverend called Peter Doughtery investigated and spoke to a woman called Jane Schoolcraft about his treatment of the students. He had this to say about school:

“If Jane Schoolcraft’s account is correct, Ferry’s abuse of young girls and his rigid disciplinary code for boys undoubtedly united the entire native community, regardless of gender, against the mission.” 
– From Countering Colonization, Native American Women and Great Lakes Missions, 1630-1900, by Carol Devens.

These schools have never really had a formal investigation by the federal government until 2022. It concluded that they didn’t know much about what went on in the school. Most schools they did investigate though, had burial sites next to them where thousands of indigenous children were buried. 

The Children Haunting the Mission House

What is the truth is difficult to say. Keeping records was more difficult back then, and especially the case of these types of Mission Schools have been shrouded in secrecy, even to this day. According to legend, it is said that the ghosts of these children sent to these schools only to die of some type of illness, are still haunting to this day. 

They were said to have sent the infected children to be quarantined in the cellar under the Mission House and few made it out.

They are mostly said to roam on the first and second floor as the third one wasn’t built until 1845 when they turned the Mission House into a hotel. During the night they are said to play, child voices laughing and their steps hurrying over the floor. The sound of a ball being tossed as well as knocking over stuff in the hallway makes their presence known. 

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References:

Feature Image: Source: Ojibwe children at their home near the head of Pelican Lake (outside the Nett Lake Reservation), 1918.

Mission Point (Mackinac Island) – Wikipedia

Mission House (Mackinac Island) – Wikipedia 

I Was a Ghost-Tour Guide on Mackinac Island 

Shedding Light on the Spirited Stories from Mackinac Island’s Mission Point – Promote Michigan

Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island Has Unexpected History

Mission Point Resort | America’s Haunted Roadtrip

Honoring Native Ancestors: Mackinaw Mission School 

Tribal citizens brace for trauma, hope for healing with federal report on boarding schools

Battle for the Soul: Mètis Children Encounter Evangelical Protestants at Mackinaw Mission, 1823-1837 on JSTOR 

https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft6p3007qj&chunk.id=d0e1316&toc.depth=100&brand=ucpress

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The Amityville Horror: A Ghost Story That Refuses to Die

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Even though the events in the haunting case of the Amityville Horror have been depicted again and again since it happened, there are still so many misconceptions and unanswered questions in this case. Was it an actual haunting by an evil entity, or just a cash grab after a real and deadly tragedy? 

Few paranormal stories have gripped the world quite like the chilling saga of the Amityville Horror. The very name conjures up images of sinister glowing eyes, disembodied voices, and a house steeped in unspeakable terror. The image of the Dutch Colonial house with its distinct gambrel roof  in the Long Island town of Amityville has become an iconic landmark. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from USA

Though skeptics have tried to debunk it, the eerie events surrounding the infamous house at 112 Ocean Avenue continue to haunt the public imagination. Was the Amityville Horror all a hoax, or did something truly supernatural take place in that cursed dwelling?

The Amityville Horror: James Brolin and Margot Kidder posing in front of a house in a scene from film ‘The Amityville Horror’, 1979. The movie catapulted the story into being a worldwide phenomenon.

The Tragedy That Started It All with the DeFeo Family

The house was first built in 1927, but the haunting was said to have started decades later. The true horror of Amityville began not with ghosts, but with cold-blooded murder. On the night of November 13, 1974, 23 year old Ronald DeFeo Jr. took a rifle and systematically slaughtered his entire family—his parents and four siblings—as they slept. 

Ronald DeFeo had a troubled childhood, the father was an abusive one and the mother was said to have been passive to it all. He had already threatened with a gun once before and was reportedly a known LSD and heroin user.. The grisly crime sent shockwaves through the quiet Long Island community, leaving the house abandoned, tainted by the bloodshed.

The Real Murder Behind the Ghost Story: Behind all the media frenzie and backstabbing of who would earn more money after the events in the house became famous, it’s easy to forget that the basis of the story of The Amityville Horror was actual deaths of a whole family.

During his trial, DeFeo claimed he had been driven to kill by malevolent voices whispering in his head. The jury didn’t believe his demonic possession as a defence and sentenced him to six consecutive life sentences. Though he later changed his story multiple times, he insisted on this fact until his death in 2021. His original claim planted the seed for what would become one of the most infamous hauntings in history.

Convicted: Ronald Defeo Jr., seen here leaving court shortly after the killings, died years later at age 69. His defense was that voices in his head told him to do it.

The Lutz Family’s the Amityville Horror Nightmare

In December 1975, just over a year after the murders, the Lutz family—George and Kathy Lutz, their three children and dog—moved into 112 Ocean Avenue. George Lutz was said to have an interest in the occult and paranormal and actively tried to summon spirits prior to the events in Amityville. 

Despite knowing its dark history, they saw the house as their dream home and for $80,000, it was a bargain. Their dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Strange voices echoed through the halls, whispering unintelligible words, sometimes calling out in eerie, distorted tones. Doors slammed shut on their own, furniture moved, and shadowy figures loomed in the night.

One of the things connecting the strange things happening to the DeFeo case was that George Lutz claimed he woke up at 3:15 AM every night—around the time the DeFeo murders occurred. The children allegedly started sleeping on the stomach, the same way the DeFeo children were found. Both he and Kathy allegedly levitated above their bed, unable to move, as unseen hands gripped them tightly.

Kathy was also said to have transformed into a 90 year old crone, and other really strange things only befitting in a horror movie. On the 28th day, on Jan. 14, 1976, the family fled the house in sheer terror, leaving their belongings behind. They refused to ever return.

The Investigation and Controversy

Already before they left, they had investigators into the paranormal claims. The haunting caught the attention of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and two months after the Lutz family fled, the Warrens and a local TV crew did a segment on the house, bringing in so-called “ghost hunters” and paranormal experts to evaluate the couple’s claims. 

Read Also: Check out The Haunted Dark Entry Forest and the Cursed Dudleytown, The Haunting of The Mark Twain House: The Gothic Mansion on the Hill and Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Disaster and Ghosts for more stories that the Warrens were involved in.

The Warrens visited the house on the night of March 6, 1976, and declared it infested with a dark, demonic presence. 

The Ghost Boy: One of the more iconic images from The Amityville Horror case is the photo taken when the Warren family visited the house. They snapped this picture and claimed it showed on of the murdered children.

Among other things, they snapped the now famed photo of the ‘ghost boy’, thought to be one of the DeFeo children. But was it? The picture has gone through a lot of investigations and mostly debunked by those who had a closer look. they claim it was It’s Paul Bartz, an investigator working with the Warrens on his knees and wearing glasses.

Paul Bartz: Wearing the same outfit, it is said he is the actual person showing up in the picture.

The Story Becomes Famous and Further Reading

One of the big books about the horrors was written by the American Author, Jay Anson in 1977. This book based on the experiences of the Lutz family was also the background for the movies that was produced from 1979 about the incident to this day. It was a sensation when published and topped the best sellers lists, but there were also a lot of lawsuits and controversy around it. 

Read more: Check out The Amityville Horror: A True Story

The Amityville Horror faced a lot of scrutiny over how real it was after its publication. Skeptics were quick to challenge the Lutzes’ claims, even after they both passed a lie detector test in hope to prove their story.  Anson said this about how he felt about the story; “I tell them that I have no idea whether the book is true or not. But I’m sure that the Lutzes believe what they told me to be true.”

One year later, director Stuart Rosenberg’s adaptation of the same name came out and became a modern day horror classic and would have around 50 sequels, remakes and other interpretations of the story over the years. 

Movie Franchise: The Amityville Horror spun many movies over the years, fueling the interest of the case.

Weber and the Lutz Falls out over Money

Some believed it was an elaborate hoax designed to profit off the tragedy. But where did Lutz get so many details of the murder correct? Turns out William Weber, Ronald DeFeo Jr. ‘s defense attorney had worked with the Lutzes to make a book. They fell out over how to split up the money though. Later admitted he had collaborated with the Lutzes to fabricate aspects of the story and that they had come up with the story after many bottles of wine.

The Lutz Couple: Although they never denied the haunting, many of their details were inaccurate, exaggerated or pure fabrication according to many of the people looking into The Amityville Horror.

He told a lot about how the details of the hoax came to be. Their daughter, Missy, had spoken of an imaginary friend named “Jodie,” a red-eyed pig-like creature that would appear outside her window. This creature was also said to stare down at George and his son Daniel from a window. Later, Weber would say this idea came from the neighbor’s cat who looked into their window at night on the TV program “A Current Affair” in May 1988.

A thick, green, foul-smelling substance oozed from the walls and keyholes were often mentioned and written into the story. According to Weber in 1988, it was inspired by an incident where De’Feo’s father once had smacked his mother when she held a plate of red-sauce spaghetti. In some variation of the legend, this substance was described as green, in some red or black. 

Priest Blessing the House

One controversy was the role of Father Pecararo, or Father Mancuso who he was named in the book The Amityville Horror (1977). George asked the Catholic priest, to bless the house when they moved in, which he did.

According to some sources, he sensed a dark presence in the upstairs bedrooms and had allegedly warned them to not sleep in there. This was said to be the room where the children had been killed. In the book, he was said to have felt a sharp slap in the face and someone telling him to get out. In the movie, flies inexplicably gathered in large numbers, particularly in one upstairs bedroom.

In the lawsuits following the book he stated that all he knew about the case had been in conversation with Lutz over the telephone. Although when interviewed about the The Amityville Horror in 1979 he did say that he entered the home for a cleansing and that he was in fact slapped by an entity who told him to “get out”. Other accounts say that the father did enter the house, but nothing of consequence happened there. 

The Haunting of a Native American Chief and an Escaped Witch from Salem

Another controversy after the Amityville Horror was the claim that the house was built on top of a Native American location of where they had abandoned the mentally ill and dying people of their tribes. Dr. Hans Holzer, the parapsychologist who examined the house in the wake of the events in the 1970s claimed that the house itself was not haunted, but the land was haunted by an old Native American chief. 

This is a very fundamental and a classic go-to in allegedly haunted places in America. Although it is impossible to document for certain as far back as when Native Americans first settled in the area, the local Shinnecock natives said that there had been no such thing.

In addition to stories about sacred burial grounds and Native American Chiefs, there were also Salem Witches put into the mix. Jay Anson’s book suggests that the property is cursed because it had once belonged to John Ketcham, a suspected witch, who had fled Salem, Massachusetts before taking up residence in Amityville. 

The Amityville House Today

So what really happened behind the scenes of the Amityville Horror? Was the mortgage and tax payments too much for the Lutzes and the poltergeist story made up to try and evade this? The Lutzes never retracted their story and George stood his ground until his death in 2006. Daniel, the son living there claims that he still has nightmares about the time he spent in the house. He believed it was his father’s interest in the occult that opened up to some sort of entity in their home. 

The Amityville house has since changed ownership at least four times. Some residents have reported no unusual activity, like James Cromarty who lived in the house from 1976 with his wife, Barbara. According to them, nothing strange ever happened in the ten years they lived there. They were bothered by the fans of Amityville Horror though, coming to their doors, asking for Ronald DeFeo and stole shingles from the roof and ripped out chunks of their lawn. In the end, they moved out as well. They tried to change the address to 108 Ocean Avenue to deter people from flocking to their door. 

They sold it to Peter and Jeanne O’Neill in 1987 and they sold it in 1997 to a man called Brian Wilson. It was sold as recently as 2017. The house itself has been renovated and even had its iconic quarter-moon windows changed, perhaps in an effort to erase its infamous past.

Regardless of whether the Amityville Horror was a genuine haunting or an elaborate fabrication, it remains one of the most terrifying and enduring ghost stories of all time. The legend of 112 Ocean Avenue and The Amityville Horror refuses to die—just like the restless spirits that are said to dwell within its cursed walls.

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References:

The Amityville Horror – Wikipedia 

The Chilling Crime and Real House Behind ‘The Amityville Horror’

The Real Story Behind the ‘Amityville Horror House’ | HowStuffWorks

Inside The Real Amityville Horror House And Its Story Of Murder And Hauntings

The real story behind the infamous Amityville Horror house 

The Amityville Murders 

‘Amityville Horror’ 50 years later — a look at the ‘most haunted house in the world’ decades after grisly killings 

With ‘The Amityville Horror,’ One House. Many Haunts. – The New York Times 

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The Ghost of a Heartbroken Student Haunting the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island

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Back in the day, the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island used to be a university. According to legend it is haunted by a former student who ended his life after being heartbroken. Or did he?

In the glistening waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a serene retreat known for its picturesque beauty, historic charm, and an eerie reputation for the supernatural. In fact, Mackinac Island was called the most haunted town in America in 2021, with many stories having been covered over the years. And with only a full time population of around 583 people, the ghosts perhaps even outnumber the living. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

With no cars allowed and transportation limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, the island offers a unique step back in time. Some come to enjoy the quiet seaside and enjoy the famous fudge. The island has become a perfect summer destination for Americans, but after the tourists leave in the fall, the fog from the Straits comes rolling in, and the leaves turn color, the ghost of the island remains to haunt it. 

Mission Point Resort: This fine resort with an outlook over the blue water has gone through many stages and has been the home of many different organizations and schools. Today it is a hotel, but it is said it is still haunted by the ghost of a former student from when it was Mackinac Island College. //Source: Mary McGuire/Flickr

A Brief History of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island’s history stretches back thousands of years, with indigenous peoples such as the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Huron considering it a sacred place long before European settlers arrived. The island’s name itself, derived from the Ojibwe word “Michilimackinac,” means “big turtle,” referring to the island’s shape when viewed from above.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Mackinac Island

The French established a fur trading post here in the 17th century, and the island later became a strategic military outpost during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In the late 19th century, it became more of a summer colony and a tourist destination that it still is. 

Mission Point Resort: Tragedy and Restless Spirits

Mission Point Resort can be found on the southeast side of Mackinac Island and is notorious for its paranormal activity as well as its wonderful view of the sunrise. The family owned place has been a hotel and conference center since the late 1970, but by then, it already had a long history.

The southeast end of Mackinac Island thus became known as Mission Point after Reverend William Ferry, a Protestant missionary established Mission Church, which was one of the first protestant churches in the Midwest. You can also find the Mission House, a boarding school built to teach native american children the christian way of life. Like the Mission Point Resort, the Mission House also is believed to be haunted.

In the 1940 and 50s, a lot of Mission Point used to belong to a religious group known as The Moral Re-Armament group. They called themselves a multi-national group promoting love, unselfishness, purity and honesty. Other people have since called the group a cult with a pro fascism and pro Hitler statements professed by some members. 

In any case, they invested in the place and built many buildings catering to the community, bot the locals as well as tourists.

Mackinac College and the Student Haunting it

Once, Mission Point Resort was a part of the Mackinac College campus, a private liberal arts college from 1966 to 1970. The college taught courses in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, modern languages, theater, television, radio, journalism, art, government, and public affairs. The college offered professional degrees. 

The student mass consisted of 113 students from 30 states and Canada. It wasn’t a successful one and closed after graduating its first class in 1970. Some tried to revive it as a bible college, but also this failed. 

The Mission Point Resort is said to be haunted by the spirit of Harvey. He was a student at Mackinac College who allegedly committed suicide after a heartbreak. According to some sources, this was said to have happened in 1967. 

Mackinac Island College: The Clark Center for Arts and Sciences (left) and Peter Howard Memorial Library (right) were constructed for use by Mackinac College. The Library (completed in 1966) was torn down in approx. 1990. // Source: Mackinac Island State Historic Parks

Harvey probably stayed at the West Residence that was used as the male dormitory for Mackinac College. According to Amy Bruni and her paranormal research group, they were able to track down his real identity, but according to her, Harvey’s parents asked for his real name not to be mentioned. 

Some say it was simply an unrequited love, some say that he proposed, but turned him down. What really happened is something of a mystery, and we only really know that one winter day he went missing and wasn’t found until spring. 

What really happened to Harvey, was it really suicide? Some say that it was actually a rival for his love interest who had something to do with his death. Many stories claim that he jumped from the cliffs behind the college, but this narrative is most likely made up. According to other sources, they said that he shot himself. This is were the story about it perhaps not being a suicide comes on. There were rumors that there were two bullets to the head from a gun that was nowhere near his body. 

Visitors have also reported sightings of shadowy figures and phantom lights in the wooded areas surrounding the Mission Point Resort, as well as hearing mysterious voices calling out in the night.

Mission Point Theater: The first modern building at Mission Point, in 1955 the Theater is situated between Mission House (left) and Faren Cottage (right).// Source

Harvey Haunting the Theater and Mission Point Resort

His ghost is known to linger around the theater found at the center of the Mission Point Resort ground. The theater was built by the MRA group in 1955 and given to Mackinac College in 1965. where he is said to be flirtatious, bordering on harassing women and playing pranks on men. He is also said to be pinching and poking visitors, often accompanied by cold drafts and unsettling whispers.

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References:

Shedding Light on the Spirited Stories from Mackinac Island’s Mission Point – Promote Michigan

Mackinac Island Michigan Hotels | Our Story | Mission Point 

Mission Point Began as Conference Center and College – Mackinac State Historic Parks

Mackinac College – Wikipedia 

Moral Re-Armament – Wikipedia

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The Mystery of the Cooper Family Falling Body Photo is Solved

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The picture of the Cooper Family with a falling body has gone many rounds within paranormal communities. Many alleged ghost photos will remain a mystery, but perhaps this mystery behind the photo is now solved?

Although the final piece of evidence in this ongoing case with the photograph topping most haunted photographs lists was dropped in 2020, there are still stories about the creepy ghost story behind the picture, and those articles detailing the exposed hoax about it, rarely mentions the final part of it. 

So let’s get into it, who were the Cooper family, what happened in the picture, and who is behind this enduring legend that has been passed around the internet for a long time now? Let’s get into the story behind the picture and the many twists and turns it took along the way. 

The Story of the Cooper Family and the Falling Body

Although the details vary a lot on the different retelling, there is mostly one way to start the Cooper Family Falling Body. Sometime in the 1950s the Cooper family of Texas bought an old house and moved into it. On their first night there, the father took a photo of Mom and Grandma posing with the two kids at the dining room table. Everyone was happy and smiling. They were living the American dream.

But when the photo was developed, they saw, to their horror, that what looked like a body falling or hanging from the ceiling had materialized behind them. It hadn’t been there when the father took the photo. 

The Ghost in the Photo: The photo in question was this and caused a lot of debate over the years. Now, it seems the whole story is out.

So where did this thing come from? Was it an apparition of a deceased former tenant of the house? No one knew. Many theories has since been put forth, like that the house was built on top of a location were many black Americans were lynched and it was a ghost from that for example.

According to some variations of the legend, the little boys had nightmares for years because of this picture. Some versions ended with the family deciding to move out of the house because they couldn’t deal with the spooky haunting that was going on in the house. 

The Truth Behind the Picture

So what really happened? Double exposures were not an uncommon thing in analog photographs before the digital age, but not all pictures garnered so much attention as this one. According to many “experts”, they deemed the picture legit. At least according to the posts without any sources. But the truth ended up being not like how the internet treated it. 

The picture seems to have been passed around on lists like most mysterious photos, or scary ghost pictures since at least 2009 when it was posted on a fan site for the horror writer Thomas Ligotti. As for the story behind the picture, talking about showing the Cooper family from Texas appears to have been invented in 2013.

And what happened to the Cooper family? The fact is, that they weren’t even named Cooper, but Copper and someway along the way of copying and pasting, it was changed. One of the boys in the picture recognized himself when it went viral and he didn’t seem very amused by the picture. 

He said: When my older brother sent me this link I was floored. We are the two boys in the picture. Well we were back in 1959. I have many picture like this one, but not this one. My mother had a habit of throwing away pictures that she didn’t like. Eventually the ones she kept were passed along to me. What annoys me is that somebody got hold of a family photograph. The story is almost entirely fiction. Our last name is Copper, not Cooper. Does anybody know who did this?

In 2015, photographers and others on Metabunk took a deep dive into the picture in the forum Robert Copper sent it to. Is it even a man in the picture? Some have pointed out that when turned around, it looks more like a woman striking a ballet pose, even going as far as identifying the person hanging from the ceiling as It’s the ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn superimposed, upside down over the photograph among other women.

Thinking that this would be the end of it, people put the case to rest for a time. But it wasn’t solved yet.

The Perpetrator Comes Forward

There is a book written about it called “urban legend: the true story of the Cooper family photo.” By Richard Ramsdell. People started to question this publication so close to the Metabunk debate. In 2020 however, in the same thread where Robert Copper came forth as one of the boys in the picture, he now reappeared as Richard Ramsdell, the author of the book as well as and the one behind the photo as well as in the photo. 

He wrote: I want to thank all of you for the many hours of entertainment. I am the younger boy in the photo and I am Richard Ramsdell.

I stumbled across this thread in May of 2015 and was shocked to see an early artwork of mine getting so much attention and speculation. (I was floored by the sheer number of websites that perpetuated the Cooper family story.)

I created this image in 1981, in the darkroom. I once had a website where it and others were displayed. Somebody must have snatched the image and created the Cooper family story. The original “hoax” story is not mine. But it is hilarious!

I am one of the 2 creators of the Bristel Goodman online ARG. We were just trying to make a webseries and stumbled into the ARG world. It was an accidental ARG. After that it seemed obvious to create Robert C. just to mess with you. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. The whole thing was just so crazy. (And yes, I was able to entertain friends for many nights at the pub.)

Very quickly I thought of writing the book. I had just made 2 Apple iBooks, so I had some skills there. (The Amazon books have been converted from the iBooks. I agree, they look like crap in comparison.)

Of course the book is total fiction (mostly), the truth just isn’t as challenging for me. Clearly I’m not a skilled author, but I hoped that the imagery combined with a fun story would help me make a couple of bucks. Thanks to those of you who bought it. It makes me smile to know that a couple of you enjoyed it (dierdre, Ray Von G).

So who is Richard Ramsdell? In addition to being the little boy in the picture, he now claims that he was behind the editing of the ghost in the photo. According to his IMDB he is: Richard G. Ramsdell, an editor, colorist and producer, known for Bristel Goodman (2014), and Speed of Love (2010). Born and raised in upstate NY he has graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Salzburg College and the University of Florida. He is a visual artist of over 30 years, with a number of fellowships, grants and international exhibitions to his name. 

Worth noting that some of the photographs of him have a very artistic use of double exposure. Is the story behind this strange photo finally solved then, or are there still more layers to peel off? A hoax within the hoax as it were.

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References:

Debunked: Cooper/Copper family ghost photo | Metabunk 

The Cooper House Ghost Photograph | Ghosts and Hauntings | Stronghold Nation 

https://www.ligotti.net/photoplog/index.php?s=603c6358a4c4550f05b422dc56cc32f0&n=2112

The Cooper Family Falling Body Photo 

Debunked: Cooper/Copper family ghost photo | Page 4 | Metabunk 

Richard G. Ramsdell – Biography – IMDb

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The Ghost of Lucy of Mackinac Island Looking for her Parents

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A little girl is said to haunt a summer island. According to legend, the ghost of Lucy of Mackinac Island died of an illness when her parents were out of town. Still to this day she is said to roam the island, looking for where her parents went. 

In the glistening waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a serene retreat known for its picturesque beauty, historic charm, and an eerie reputation for the supernatural. In fact, Mackinac Island was called the most haunted town in America in 2021, with many stories having been covered over the years. And with only a full time population of around 583 people, the ghosts perhaps even outnumber the living. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

With no cars allowed and transportation limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, the island offers a unique step back in time. Some come to enjoy the quiet seaside and enjoy the famous fudge. The island has become a perfect summer destination for Americans, but after the tourists leave in the fall, the fog from the Straits comes rolling in, and the leaves turn color, the ghost of the island remains to haunt it. 

A Brief History of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island’s history stretches back thousands of years, with indigenous peoples such as the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Huron considering it a sacred place long before European settlers arrived. The island’s name itself, derived from the Ojibwe word “Michilimackinac,” means “big turtle,” referring to the island’s shape when viewed from above.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Mackinac Island

The French established a fur trading post here in the 17th century, taking advantage of the rich natural resources and the strategic location that provided access to crucial trade routes. As time progressed, the island gained significance and later became a strategic military outpost during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, playing a key role in various military operations that shaped the early history of the United States.

With its scenic views and pleasant climate, in the late 19th century, it transformed into more of a summer colony and a tourist destination, attracting visitors from far and wide who sought relaxation and adventure. Today, it retains that charm, offering a blend of historical significance and natural beauty that continues to draw tourists looking to escape the bustle of modern life and immerse themselves in its rich heritage.

Mackinac Island: Cars were banned at the end of the nineteenth century due to health and safety concerns for the island’s residents and horses, as local carriage drivers said it scared their horses. This, together with the old historic houses and lush nature makes you feel like stepping back in time and welcoming old ghosts to linger.

The Ghost story of Lucy of Mackinac Island

Another well known ghost story on Mackinac Island is Lucy of Mackinac Island. She is said to be a 12 year old girl, wandering around the island in her light colored sundress and curly hair. At first glance, she probably looks like any other girl, but those looking twice will notice something strange as she appears and disappears like a ghost. 

The ghost of Lucy of Mackinac Island is not confined to a single spot on the island but can be seen peeking out from windows from old Pine Cottage B&B and following people on the staircase at Crow’s Nest Trail up to Anne’s Tablet. Anne’s Tablet is a 1916 Art Nouveau sculptural installation by William Ordway Partridge.

More Than One Ghost Haunting The Pine Cottage

Lucy of Mackinac Island is not the only one said to haunt the Pine Cottage. Although Lucy seems like she can come and go as she likes, there are some ghosts that seem trapped in this place. Spirits simply known as the man, the woman and the creature are also said to haunt this place. 

Pine Cottage: Peering out from the windows at the Pine Cottages, it is said that one of the ghost lingering there, is that of Lucy.

Room number 4 is haunted by a woman, often regarded as a helpful ghost according to the accounts of those who have encountered her presence. She is known for assisting guests in finding lost items, tidying up the space, and exuding a gentle aura that brings comfort to those who stay in the room.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from haunted hotels

Some believe that she may be the spirit of a woman who was allegedly murdered there in 1942, a tragic event that remains shrouded in mystery, with the details of the crime never fully uncovered. This unresolved history adds to the intrigue surrounding Room 4, drawing visitors who are eager to experience the soothing presence of the ghost and perhaps glean more insight into the tragic story that lingers in the shadows.

The man is thought to be the killer of the woman. There are however no unsolved murders on Mackinac Island except that of Frances Lacey who were murdered in 1960. She didn’t stay at the Pine Cottages though. 

Who was Lucy of Mackinac Island?

Back to Lucy, who is said to wander around the entire island, appearing to tourists with a haunting grace. Who was she when alive? Was her name even truly Lucy? Although a well-known ghost, she remains an enigma, not a well-known girl. There are not really many records that fit her descriptions; fragmented tales and local legends fill the gaps.

According to the local lore, Lucy died from a sickness when her family left town for the weekend, some say they went as far as Detroit. Did they leave her alone, were they as some would have it, drunkard parents? No one knows, but it is said that she was found dead when they returned. 

Now she is wandering, lost and calling for her parents. As dusk falls, the stories of her life and untimely death linger in the air, raising questions about her true identity and the life she once led before she became part of the island’s haunting allure.

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Shedding Light on the Spirited Stories from Mackinac Island’s Mission Point – Promote Michigan

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Ghostly Soldiers at Fort Holmes on Mackinac Island

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At the highest point of Mackinac Island in Michigan, Fort Holmes is thought to be haunted by ghosts from the War of 1812. Could there also be something more ancient haunting the place?

In the glistening waters of Lake Huron between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Mackinac Island is a serene retreat known for its picturesque beauty, historic charm, and an eerie reputation for the supernatural.

In fact, Mackinac Island was called the most haunted town in America in 2021, with many stories having been covered over the years. And with only a full time population of around 583 people, the ghosts perhaps even outnumber the living. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA

With no cars allowed and transportation limited to bicycles and horse-drawn carriages, the island offers a unique step back in time. Some come to enjoy the quiet seaside and enjoy the famous fudge. The island has become a perfect summer destination for Americans, but after the tourists leave in the fall, the fog from the Straits comes rolling in, and the leaves turn color, the ghost of the island remains to haunt it. 

Fort Holmes: On the highest top on Mackinac Island, is the reconstructed Fort Holmes. Those visiting it claim to have seen the ghost of soldiers still guarding the fort. //Source: Wikimedia

A Brief History of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island’s history stretches back thousands of years, with indigenous peoples such as the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Huron considering it a sacred place long before European settlers arrived. The island’s name itself, derived from the Ojibwe word “Michilimackinac,” means “big turtle,” referring to the island’s shape when viewed from above.

Read more: Check out all ghost stories from Mackinac Island

The French established a fur trading post here in the 17th century, and the island later became a strategic military outpost during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In the late 19th century, it became more of a summer colony and a tourist destination that it still is. 

Fort Holmes and the War Time Haunting

On top of Mackinac Island’s highest point, an old British stronghold was built. The building standing is not the original redoubt, but built to look like it did in 1817.

Fort Holmes was originally built in 1814 during the War of 1812, between the United States and the United Kingdom. Back then there was only a blockhouse and stockade built by the British and was a defense place when the Americans attacked in 1814. Back then it was called Fort George, and was only renamed after the Americans took over after the Major who was killed during the assault.

Read More: check out all ghost stories from haunted forts

It fell into disrepair under the shadow of the Fort Mackinac it was built to assist and Fort Holmes never functioned as an independent military fortification. Fort Mackinac is about half a mile south from Fort Mackinac and has its own haunted ghost stories. 

The Fort Holmes was remodeled in 2015 and is today a popular place for tourists to hike up to watch the stars and the shoreline of the Straits of Mackinac. It is also said to be a place to see ghosts. 

Fort Holmes: Stairway up to Fort Holmes, the highest point on Mackinac Island. // Source: Wikimedia

Some also claim that something paranormal is going on at the old restored fort. Many people claim to have seen three soldiers wearing Colonial-era uniforms, talking among themselves, but when they notice they are being watched, they disappear. 

As with many places on the island, this fort is also said to have been built on top of native burial grounds, making people think that maybe the place also is haunted by the spirits of Ojibwe tribesmen and women as well as the Europeans desecrating more than one burial site. 

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References:

Fort Holmes – Wikipedia 

Fort Holmes – Mackinac Island 

Haunted Ghost Tour – Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau

5 Ghost Stories From MI’s Mackinac Island

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The Haunting of Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery: Chicago’s Most Infamous Graveyard

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Blue lights twinkling between the graves, ghostly figures and even phantom houses appearing and disappearing are only some of the ghost stories from Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. What really happened to this abandoned cemetery? 

Hidden deep within the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, about twenty-four miles southwest of Chicago, lies Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery—a place that has gained infamy as one of the most haunted locations in the Midwest. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from USA

Time and nature have overtaken this once-respectable burial ground. A murky quarry is next to it and trash is thrown on the ground. Next to the gravestone of a couple of infants are small toys littered next to it. Something else lurks in its overgrown paths and broken headstones. For decades, visitors have reported eerie encounters, strange lights, ghostly apparitions, and even brushes with the spirits of the long-departed.

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery: A group of monuments on southeast quadrant. The cemetery is now abandoned and only ghost stories live on in this place. // Source

A Cemetery with a Dark Past

Established in the early 1830s or 40s, Bachelor’s Grove is the oldest cemetery in Cook County, Illinois. The first burial was that of Eliza Scott in November 1844. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery housed the Scottish, English and Irish immigrants that came in the 1820s. The name comes from both the Batchelder family who used to live there as well as a group of unmarried men calling themselves the Bachelors. 

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery was once a peaceful final resting place for early settlers, but as the years passed, it became the target of vandalism, decay, and something far more sinister. 

By the Prohibition era of the 1920s and 1930s, the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery had reportedly become a dumping ground for Chicago’s notorious organized crime syndicates. Rumors persist that the mob used the nearby lagoon as a watery grave for those who had crossed them, their bodies weighted down and left to disappear beneath the murky depths.

Aside from the rumors of being a dumping ground for the mafia, it was said to be a peaceful place until the 1950s when the Midlothian Turnpike was rerouted and left the grove far away from everything. Teenagers started using Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery as a lover’s lane, a place to drink and party and ghost stories and fantastical legends took hold. 

Today, most of the eighty graves are unmarked due to rampant vandalism, the headstones either stolen or toppled over, and the grounds left in disrepair. Some of the coffins were even dug up and robbed. But while many of the gravestones are gone, the spirits remain.

Encounters with the Supernatural

Since the 1960s, countless visitors, ghost hunters, and paranormal investigators have reported chilling experiences at Bachelor’s Grove. Some claim to hear whispers carried on the wind, see floating orbs of light in blue or red, or experience an overwhelming sense of dread. 

On the entrance there is a large black and tan dog sitting or running down a path. People realize it’s a ghost first when the Others have reported near-collisions with phantom vehicles that appear out of nowhere on the nearby roads, only to vanish without a trace.

The Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove

Among the spirits said to roam the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, none are as well-known as the “Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove.” This spectral woman, dressed in a flowing white gown, is often seen wandering the grounds, cradling an infant in her arms. Many believe she is the spirit of a grieving mother, doomed to wander the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in search of her lost child. The legend claims that she is seeking something, or perhaps someone, although no one knows what. 

Her story got known when a group of investigators explored the cemetery in 1979 and apparently took a photograph of her in a hooded robe with her baby cradled in her arms. Later it seems the Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove attire changed from story to story, wore only a white dress and had no baby. 

The Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove: This picture of what appears to be a ghost sitting on a grave in Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery became quite famous after it was taken in 1991 by Judy Felz, and so did the legend of the Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove.

In 1991, a famous photograph taken by Judy Felz from the Ghost Research Society captured what appears to be a semi-transparent woman in period clothing sitting on a broken headstone. The infrared image remains one of the most popular pieces of paranormal evidence associated with the cemetery.

But who was the Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove?

There have been many speculations about who the woman in the graveyard could have been. For a long time they believed she could have been Luella Rogers because of the stone placement as she was the one buried next to the headstone just marked: “Infant Daughter” in number 15. But over the years the “Infant Daughter” stone has been moved and is actually on top of another woman. 

Infant Daughter: A lot of the details of the haunting of Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery is connected to this tombstone. Source

The “Infant Daughter” headstones actually belong to the daughter of Bertand Fulton and Kathryn Vogt. Could this be the origin of the ghost? Or could it be someone else?

Could Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove possibly be Amelia Patrick Humphrey? Amelia was the first wife of Senator John Humphrey of Orland Park, a prominent politician from the mid 1800’s. Their third child Libby May died when she was only 11 months and 6 days and buried in the Patrick family lot (#44) in Bachelors Grove. Could this be the mother then, who is eternally visiting her young daughter’s grave?

The Phantom House Appearing in the Mist

One of the stranger legends from Bachelor’s Grove is the story about the disappearing house. It is said to be a white one-story Victorian house. On the porch there is a swing and a picket fence encircles it. When people claim to see it, they describe it more transparently. In the windows there is a flickering yellow light, as if a candle is lit. 

Many people have come back from the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, talking about a house they were unable to find again. Many have sketched the same type of house from the legend, claiming they had never heard about the stories from this place. 

A mist is often closing in on the house as well, and one story even claims that a line of people were waiting by the front door. When people try to approach it, they say that it shrinks and when you get close enough, it simply vanishes. 

What or where the legend comes from is uncertain, but the story goes that if you actually are able to reach it, you will never be able to return. 

But did a house even exist in this area? Some claim that there was nothing of the sorts built on this land, but maps from so long ago are not the most reliable. According to different maps there used to be around four homes and other structures close to the cemetery. There are pictures however that have resurfaced with buildings from the early 1900s looking like they used to be there, one of them is even said to really look like the descriptions of the story. 

The Phantom House: The photograph, which was provided by ancestors of the Schmidt family who used to own the property surrounding the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery found a picture from 1914. Source

The Murdering Caretaker Following You

The most commonly told version of the Caretaker the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery caretaker and his family living in a house in the woods. The house is said to be located a short distance west of what is now the roped-off entrance to the main path leading to the cemetery off of 143rd Street, across from the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve parking lot. This path is also known as a portion of the Midlothian Turnpike that was unofficially closed to vehicle traffic in the 1960s, with the official closure occurring in 1977.

All is normal with him and his family until one day out of nowhere he becomes enraged and kills his entire family. It is said that he was overcome with “evil spirits” that told him to kill his family. After he realized what he had done, he took his own life. At some point down the timeline of the story the townspeople burn down the caretaker’s house to erase all memory of this tragic story.

Now, people encounter him walking around the cemetery grounds, often with an oil lamp in his hand, telling people to leave the place. If they don’t listen to him, he is following them on the trail, the light shining behind them before he suddenly vanishes. 

The killing is said to have happened in the 70s, but there is no proof for this. In fact, the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery never had a caretaker at all. Still, there are plenty of people claiming to have encountered him over the years.

The Hook Man Legend Comes to Bachelor’s Grove

Another well-known story in the area is about a stranded couple, a local version of the Hook Man legend. It tells of a young couple who park by Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. When they decide to leave, the boyfriend finds the car won’t start due to being out of gas or a stalled engine. He tells the girl to stay in the car while he goes to get help. While waiting, she hears a scratching noise on the roof that continues for a while. Curious but frightened, she remains in the car. Eventually, she sees blue lights and a siren behind her. An officer approaches, opens her door, and urgently instructs her not to turn around. Overcome with curiosity, she looks back and sees her boyfriend hanging from a tree above the car, his throat slit, his fingers barely touching the roof, scratching it. This horrific sight drives the girl into madness.

Read More: The Hook-Man

Now, this is a common story, but it gained new interest when a policeman shared it as real during an interview. In Halloween 2012, a group of paranormal researchers met a retired Bridgeview police officer who claimed to have seen official police reports of the incident. He mentioned baby-sized footprints on the roof of the car and stated that the murdered boy’s girlfriend was in a mental institution in Tinley Park. He spoke strongly about the report’s existence and the truth of the story, but later he recanted and stopped further communication, making it difficult to distinguish between tale and fact.

Disappearing Cars of the Cemetery

It’s not only houses and people that disappear into the night at Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, but cars as well. A legend that really took off in the 1970’s was the stories told about the disappearing cars. According to these stories, drivers would pass the desolated roads by the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery. According to them, they kept seeing a car pulled over on the side of the Midlothian Turnpike close to the cemetery. Although what type of car it was, changes from each retelling, although most often described as an older looking car, perhaps from the 40’s or even older. But when they went to double check in their rearview mirror, there was no car there anymore. 

Some stories even said that night drivers ended up colliding with these phantom cars. A couple was at the corner of Central Avenue and Midlothian Turnpike. Checking in both directions, they saw it was all clear and made the turn. Out of nowhere, a “speeding brown sedan” as it’s often described as came hurling in the direction of the cemetery. The car crashed into the couple and they could feel the impact, hear the glass shattering and the metal crunching. 

When they exited the car, the brown car simply faded away, and when they looked at their own car, it didn’t even have a scratch. 

Although a popular story to tell about the place at the time, it seems like the legend of the phantom cars is not the most told anymore. 

The Farmer and Horse in the Pond

Right next to the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery there is a little pond that is also said to be haunted. The story is that in 1870 there was a farmer plowing in a nearby field. His horse became startled and set off. The farmer, tangled in the reins, was dragged with the horse who jumped into the pond. Both drowned as the weight of the metal plow was so heavy it dragged the both to the bottom. 

Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery Pond

It is said that the farmer and the horse can be seen on the surface of the pond as well as appearing on 143rd Street right behind the cemetery.

But did this really happen though? According to historians it couldn’t have been in 1870 at least, as the pond didn’t even exist until after 1900. Was it another pond further away from the Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery? Another year? Did it happen at all?

The Lingering Spirits of Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery

From shadowy figures darting between the trees to ghostly apparitions of monks, mobsters, and misty forms hovering above graves, the spirits of Bachelor’s Grove refuse to be forgotten. Paranormal investigators continue to explore the site, capturing electronic voice phenomena (EVPs) and anomalous readings, adding to the growing legend of this haunted graveyard.

For those brave enough to visit, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery offers more than just a glimpse into Chicago’s past— But you must visit Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery at day. From sunset to sunrise the cemetery is closed off and patrolled. To keep teenagers and those up to mischief out? Or to keep something in?

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References:

https://ghostcitytours.com/chicago/haunted-chicago/bachelors-grove-cemetery/?srsltid=AfmBOorXbVu_5zyztGjWIJEUc4BdZtMxntgIwigGn-MjKkLgXhax1DWL

Bachelors Grove Cemetery & Settlement Research Center – Paranormal History

Most Haunted Places in The World – The Path To Bachelors Grove : Other

Bachelors Grove Cemetery | Chicago’s Graveyard with Ghosts

Madonna of Bachelors Grove 

Disappearing House 

Caretaker