Helen Pattskyn - Ghosthunting Michigan

Titles in the Americas Haunted Road Trip Series:

Ghosthunting Florida

Ghosthunting Kentucky

Ghosthunting Illinois

Ghosthunting Maryland

Ghosthunting New Jersey

Ghosthunting New York City

Ghosthunting North Carolina

Ghosthunting Ohio

Ghosthunting Ohio: On the Road Again

Ghosthunting Pennsylvania

Ghosthunting Southern California

Ghosthunting Southern New England

Ghosthunting Texas

Ghosthunting Virginia

Cincinnati Haunted Handbook

Nashville Haunted Handbook

Haunted Hoosier Trails

More Haunted Hoosier Trails

Spirits of New Orleans

Spooked in Seattle

Twin Cities Haunted Handbook

Ghosthunting Michigan

COPYRIGHT 2012 by Helen Pattskyn

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any fashion, print, facsimile, or electronic, or by any method yet to be developed, without express permission of the copyright holder.

For further information, contact the publisher at:

Clerisy Press

306 Greenup Street

Covington, KY 41011

www.clerisypress.com

C ATALOGING-IN -P UBLICATION D ATA IS AVAILABLE FROM THE L IBRARY OF C ONGRESS

ISBN-13: 978-1-57860-513-2

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Printed in the United States of America

First edition, first printing

Editor: Donna Poehner

Cover design: Scott McGrew

Cover and interior photos provided by the author unless otherwise noted

Preface

D O YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

If you are like 52 percent of Americans (according to a recent Harris Poll), you do believe that ghosts walk among us. Perhaps you have heard your name called in a dark and empty house. It could be that you have awoken to the sound of footsteps outside your bedroom door, only to find no one there. It is possible that you saw your grandmother sitting in her favorite rocker chair, the same grandmother who had passed away several years before. Maybe you took a photo of a crumbling, deserted farmhouse and discovered strange mists and orbs in the photo, anomalies that were not visible to your naked eye.

If you have experienced similar paranormal events, then you know that ghosts exist. Even if you have not yet experienced these things, you are curious about the paranormal world, the spirit realm. If you werent, you would not now be reading this preface.

Over the last several years, I have investigated haunted locations across the country, and with each new site, I found myself becoming more fascinated with ghosts. What are they? How do they manifest themselves? Why are they here? These are just a few of the questions I have been asking. No doubt, you have been asking the same questions.

The books in the Americas Haunted Roadtrip series can help you find the answers to your questions about ghosts. Weve gathered together some of Americas top ghost writers (no pun intended) and researchers and asked them to write about their states favorite haunts. Each location that they write about is open to the public so that you can visit them for yourself and try out your ghosthunting skills. In addition to telling you about their often hair-raising adventures, the writers have included maps and travel directions so that you can take your own haunted roadtrip.

People may think that Michigan is all about lakes and woods, hunting and fishing, cherry orchards and Motor City, but Helen Pattskyns Ghosthunting Michigan proves that the Great Lakes State is fertile ground for entities even more fantastic than the 1960 Edsel Ranger. This book is a spine-tingling trip through Michigans small towns and lively cities, its historic sites and fun spots, all of them haunted. Ride shotgun with Helen as she seeks out ghosts of seamenthe crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald at the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and Shipwreck Museum and the spirits of thespians who took their final bows long ago at the Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak. Travel with her to Camp Ticonderoga where a top-hatted phantom sits at a table, waiting for service. If youre luckyor, perhaps, unluckyyou might run into the ghost of jilted Minnie Quay at Forester Pier, on Lake Hurons shore. And who was that ghostly woman who walked right through a door at Bone Heads BBQ in Willis? Hang on tight; Ghosthunting Michigan is a scary ride.

But once youve finished reading this book, dont unbuckle your seatbelt. There are still 49 states left for your haunted roadtrip! See you on the road!

John Kachuba

Editor, Americas Haunted Roadtrip

Southeastern Michigan

Brownstown

Detroit

Fenton

Holly

Royal Oak

Troy

Willis

CHAPTER 1

The Whitney

D ETROIT

W HEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT D ETROIT , they often think of sports: the Tigers, the Red Wings, the Lions, and the Pistons. Or they think about the auto industry, because Detroit is still Motor City. Its also the home of Motown Records, where so many rock and roll greats got their start. Other people think of Detroit and remember the riots in the 1960s, or think about the crime rate, the problems with the school system, and all the rundown neighborhoods. When I think of Detroit, I think of shopping at Eastern Market for fresh producemy husband is convinced that we have to arrive by 5 a.m., or all the good stuff will be gone. I always tell him Ill take my chances, we dont really need to get there before 8 a.m. Eastern Market is only open on Saturday, and Saturdays are for sleeping in. My other favorite places in the city are the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Art, the Opera House, Symphony Hall, the Fox Theatre, and, of course, the Whitney restaurant.

Located on Woodward Avenue, just a few blocks from the campus of Wayne State University and Detroits cultural center, the Whitney was once one of the citys oldest and most beautiful private residences. Now it is one of the citys finest and most beautiful restaurants. Ive only been there to eat on a couple of very special occasions, but I fell immediately in love with the grand old house. Of course, prior to my visit on a bright sunny afternoon in April, I had only gone in looking for after-theater drinks and desert with friends, not hoping for a glimpse of the ghost of former owner, David Whitney Jr.

Construction on the 52-room, Romanesque-style home began in 1890 and was completed four years later. One local newspaper described the house as the most elaborate and substantial residence in this part of the country. The exterior walls of the mansion are made of South Dakota jasper, a rare type of pink granite. Inside, the first things visitors see are the immense staircase in the Grand Hall, with its beautiful Tiffany stained glass panels, and a huge, ornate fireplace. There are 19 other fireplaces throughout the house, a secret vault hidden in the original dining room, and an elevator. A haunted elevator, according to stories. But ghosts aside, the Whitney mansion was one of the first homes of its day to boast such a modern convenience.

David Whitney Jr. was born in 1830 and came to Detroit at the age of 27, in 1857; he died in 1900, but his family continued to live in the house until the 1920s, when it was sold and became the home of the Wayne County Medical Society, which in turn later sold it to the Visiting Nurses Association some years later. In 1980, Richard Kughn purchased the property, and after six years of restoration, the Whitney opened up as an American restaurant in an American palace. Kughn sold the property in 2007 to Bud Liebler, who continues to carry on the tradition of excellence started by his predecessor. In addition to the beautiful dining rooms on the main floor, there are outdoor garden parties all summer long, and the Ghost Bar up on the third floor.