Mackinac Island, set in the Straits of Mackinac, separates Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. It has a timeless atmosphere and outstanding natural beauty. With attractions like Arch Rock, Mackinac Island is one of the Great Lakes region’s most scenic and charming attractions. The island has received many awards. In 2024, it was voted the “No. 1 Best Summer Travel Destination” in USA Today’s “10Best” Readers’ Choice awards. The island was ranked the fifth-best place in America to see Fall Foliage. Mackinaw Island also has a darker side. It is the home of many ghosts. In 2021, The Shadowlands Haunted Places Index named Mackinac Island the most haunted place in America.
Mackinac Island is a top-rated destination for tourists and ghosts. More than 100 individual ghosts have been reported on the island, making it one of the most haunted places in Michigan! The island’s original inhabitants were the Anishinaabek people (Odawa, Ojibway, and Potawatomi). The island was a sacred burial ground for the Native Americans. However, in the late 1600s, European expansion drove the native people out. Beginning in the 1790s, the British established a base on the island during the American Revolutionary War. Later, it was the site of two significant battles in the War of 1812. There was even a witch hunt on the island in the 1700s. All that history has made for some pretty diverse ghost reports. Here are a few of the most well-known Mackinaw Island ghosts.
Grand Hotel Ghosts
The stately Grand Hotel, with its record-breaking porch, is a serene place to sit and chill. However, the hotel is also well known for its paranormal activity. In 1887, the Grand was built over an old cemetery with so many dug-up skeletons that the excavators lost count. Legend says that the construction crew gave up on removing the bodies and instead built the Grand over the whole thing, causing the unsettled spirits to walk the grounds—and inside—the Grand Hotel.
One of the more well-known spirits is the “woman in black,” who walks her big white dog up and down the hotel’s massive front porch after dark. Another ghost is “Little Rebecca.” The little girl passed away on the grounds and haunts the fourth floor. She is often spotted floating or walking through the halls and disappearing to nowhere.
The local favorite is a story about an “evil entity” that appears as a black mass with glowing red eyes. A maintenance man working on the hotel’s theater stage reported that the black mass rushed after him and knocked him off his feet. He awoke two days later and never returned.
Mission Point Ghosts
What is now known as Mission Point Resort began in 1825 when Amanda and William Ferry built a home to “educate” native children. The home evolved into the Moral Re-armament Building, another haunted island building.
In 1942, wealthy people on Mackinac Island led the MRA in Michigan. The MRA rented the Island Hotel on Mackinac Island. In 1946, supporters bought the Mission Hotel, making Mackinac Island the MRA’s world headquarters. The MRA then established the short-lived (1966-1970) Mackinac College.
One of the island’s most famous ghosts is Harvey. Harvey was a student at Mackinaw College. Tradition says he was so in love with his girlfriend that he wanted to marry her, but she turned his proposal down.
According to legends, he went into the woods and committed suicide. He went missing in February. It took until July to find his body. Although suicide was the official cause of death, many believe that there was another person who was involved in his death.
Harvey, the ghost, is said to flirt with women and be a practical joker with men. Others have reported hearing disembodied voices whispering in their ears and feeling watched or observed.
Lucy
The MRA buildings eventually became Mission Point Resort, a destination-style vacation complex. “Lucy” haunts Mission Point Resort. Tradition says that Lucy was suddenly taken ill on the island, but her parents had to leave to take care of business in Detroit. She died before her parents got back. Locals and tourists report seeing the apparition of a little girl on the balcony of Mission Point and hearing a young girl. The SyFy Channel’s TV show Ghost Hunters featured Mission Point Resort.
Drowning Pool Ghosts
Drowning Pool: In the early 1700s, when Fort Mackinac was at its heyday, many brothels popped up. The good people of Mackinaw accused seven women of being witches and enticing unsuspecting soldiers, fur traders, and husbands to their houses. They were subjected to a trial by water, also known as the “dunking” method. The women were tied to rocks and thrown into a lagoon between Mission Point and downtown Mackinac. If they sank, they were deemed innocent; if the accused floated, they were considered guilty. All seven women were innocent because they sank and drowned. Thus resulting in the drowning of seven women in the Drowning Pool.
The fear of witchcraft in colonial America was deeply rooted in the belief that women who did not conform to the expected roles of purity and chastity were more susceptible to the devil’s influence.
Visitors and residents report splashing, shadows, and dark figures floating above the surface of the Drowning Pool. Many believe the figures are the ghosts of seven drowned women.
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Ralph Bach has been in IT for a while and has blogged from the Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that has caught my attention since 2005. You can follow me on Facebook or Mastodon. Email the Bach Seat here.
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