10 Michigan haunts

The Eloise Psychiatric Hospital
Old psychiatric hospitals are just scary. Back in the old days, before we knew too much about mental health, the poor residents were treated very badly and some of them are still pissed.

The Monguagon Ghost
There’s a lost Indian village in Trenton, near the corner of West Jefferson and Slocum, called Monguagon. This is the site of America’s only Michigan victory in the war of 1812. The ghost is the result of a British soldier called Muir who was shot in the head and killed. That same night, a bloody apparition showed up in his girlfriend’s bedroom and basically said, “Do me a favor sweetheart, bury my corpse before the other guys get their mitts on it.” From time to time, Muir pops up just to make himself known.

The Rolling Muff of Grosse Ile
This is a weird one. The island of Grosse Ile is situated at the mouth of the Detroit River, and the story goes that in the 18th century, a man murdered his wife and, during the struggle, her fur muff came off. It continues to roll around to this day. It’s almost as creepy as the “Moaning Mittens of Mackinaw.” We just made that up.

Thorn Apple Valley slaughterhouse
“A compatriot and I was trouncing about this old slaughter house in Eastern market quite a while back, I'd say five years or so, in the late afternoon/early evening one day. Now, in a building like this, even in the daylight, once you get to the innards of the building, you need flash lights, as it can get damn near pitch black. Anyway, we were heading on our way out to the more well-lighted areas when my compatriot, who was in front of me, stopped because she heard something. She turned around and she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide, mouth agape, as she seemed to look at something behind me. I turned quickly and briefly saw way she saw; it appeared to be a transparent, vaporous-looking mass. Almost formless - like if a silk sheet wear flawing underwater - before it dissipated. We turned to face each other in shock, when I saw a similar, much smaller "apparition" closer to the wall of this large, empty room. We decided to get the hell out of there, as it was genuinely spooky.
Later that day, I was recounting this to my wife (then was my girlfriend). She also told me she tried to call my cell, but that the outgoing message didn't sound right. She asked if I made my outgoing message some metal song, or the audio from some horror movie. I told her I hadn't, but then asked when she called me. Turns out she called my phone exactly when my friend and I were experiencing this "event". Weird, huh?” – Robert “Nix” Nixon, Production Manager.

Two-Way Inn
This Detroit dive bar is filled with spirits (and not just the traditional variety behind the bar). Opening in 1876, the Two-Way has been a brothel, a jail, a blind pig and now a bar. That much history, there’s bound to be a ghost or two.

Historic Fort Wayne
Ghost hunters on the web say that they had some great activity-related results in the jail house, but this old place is falling apart. You’ll hear bumps in the night just about everywhere.

Garden Court Apartments
“I remember going to a small party at an apartment in that building. It was Cyndi Weeks' place, back when she was curating shows at the old Michigan Gallery. She told my friends and me that the building was haunted, and I scoffed. Later, when we were walking down the stairs, we all heard somebody rushing down the stairs past us with heavy footfalls, even though there was absolutely nobody there. We all looked at each other, thinking the exact same thought, and left the building a bit pop-eyed.” – Michael Jackman, Managing Editor.

The Masonic Temple
Of course the Masonic Temple is haunted. Rituals have been conducted there for decades. There have been plenty of spectral sightings too. I mean, look at the place.

The Melon Heads
Ghosts are creepy, but the idea that former patients of an abandoned psychiatric hospital were experimented on and then left to go feral is frankly terrifying. That’s the legend surrounding the woods near Saugatuck and Bridgeman. According to the excellent book Weird Michigan by Linda S. Godfrey, the Junction Insane Asylum didn’t actually exist, but the myth dissuades children from venturing too far into the woods for fear of being eaten.

The Northville Psychiatric Hospital
People love trespassing and exploring this creepy old place. The hydroshock therapy room is apparently still intact. Sounds like fun.