Post by Joanna on Oct 23, 2014 17:52:06 GMT -5
Tales of Michigan's Haunted Lighthouses
Still standing watch on the shores of the Great Lakes, Michigan’s lighthouses no longer have live-in keepers, but many believe they are “inhabited,” nonetheless. Dianna Stampfler, president of the tourism consulting business Promote Michigan, says that where the coastline is plentiful and there are more lighthouses than in any other state, it’s easy to understand why people find haunted lighthouse stories fascinating. “We have probably two dozen or more lighthouses in Michigan that are rumored to be haunted,” she continues. “This time of year, of course, everybody’s looking for the ghost stories that are out there.” According to Stampfler, all the stories she’s collected about the spectral keepers have happy endings, or at least, they don’t have sinister endings. “It’s not like The Exorcist or The Amityville Horror, or any of those weird things,” she insists. “I’ve never heard anybody say that they were frightened in any of these lights. It’s always kind of a watchful presence that was there.”
For those in search of a ghost sighting, Stampfler recommends three lighthouses:
White River Light Station (above), 6199 Murray Road, Whitehall. Stampfler says this light is rumored to be haunted by both a former keeper and his wife. The keeper, Capt. William “Bill” Robinson, served for 47 years and the night before he was to vacate the keeper’s quarters to make way for his replacement, he died. Many believe the phantom noises that sound like someone pacing back and fort is Old Captain Bill, still on the job. Sarah Robinson kept a spotless home and the current museum curator says if she leaves a dustcloth near a certain display case, when she returns, the cloth is in a different location and the case is dust-free. The museum is open from June through October and by appointment at other times.
Seul Choix (pronounced “sis-shwa”) Point Lighthouse, 3181 County Road 431, Gulliver. This is one of the most-haunted lighthouses in the state. Both the tower and keeper’s house are said to be haunted by Joseph Willie Townshend, who served from 1901 until he died in the upstairs bedroom of the keeper’s quarters in 1910. His body was drained of blood and prepared for his wake, which was held in the basement. Afterward, his cedar coffin was placed in the parlor, where he lay in state until relatives in distant locations arrived. He was buried near the lighthouse. Townsend was a cigar-smoker, but his wife would not allow him to smoke inside the house, however, since his death, the smell of cigar smoke has often been detected inside the dwelling. In addition to the cigar smoke, visitors and employees have reported numerous strange occurrences, including the moving of table utensils, phantom footsteps and the sounds of someone ascending the spiral stairs in the tower. Seul Choix is open only during the summer and early fall.
Saginaw River Rear Range Light, Bay City. Two keepers of this lighthouse were married to the same woman – at different times – which led to rumors that she murdered both her husbands. Until the light was deactivated in 1973, Coast Guard members often reported hearing heavy footsteps on the iron stairs in the tower. The lighthouse is not open to the public, but it can be seen from the water.
Stampfler admits she’s never seen a ghost, despite spending six hours atop the South Manitou Island Light on a full-moon night. “If there was ever going to be a ghost encounter, it would’ve been there, I think,” she says. “I waited and waited and waited, and nothing ever happened.”
Sources: Andy Fitzpatrick, Battle Creek Enquirer, October 20, 2014, and The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association.
