7 Haunted Places In Michigan That Will Give You Chills

The lake effect snow isn't the only thing keeping Michigan residents shivering. These seven haunted places unique to the state will chill you to the bone.

haunted places michigan — Photo Credit: Haunted Bruce Mansion Paranormal / Facebook

Built by John G. Bruce in 1876, this house quickly became a point of mystery for the residents of Brown City, Michigan. In 1881, a huge fire destroyed nearly the whole town, but this structure was left standing in pristine condition—leaving many to wonder if it was charmed, or cursed, in some way. The home was later used as a place to conduct funerals, which could explain why so many spirits are thought to be trapped inside. It's said that growling noises are often heard in the basement of the home, and frequent apparitions are seen throughout the house.

Old City Orphanage is located in a small town in Michigan called Marquette. Formerly known as the Holy Family Orphanage or sometimes the Holy Cross Orphanage, this building dates all the way back to 1915. It was originally inhabited by children, mostly Native American, and nuns. It's said that the nuns, nominally responsible for the children's well-being, were extremely abusive. Several children were supposedly beaten to death or left out to die in the harsh elements, although no records of this seem to exist. The orphanage shut down in 1965 and was left to ruin. For many years, the building was said to be haunted by the ghosts of the unfortunate children who died there. It is currently being renovated and restored as the Grandview Marquette apartments. Will the ghosts still linger on? We'll have to wait and see...

The Detroit Masonic Temple opened its doors in 1926 and is the world's largest (and most haunted) Masonic Temple. The 1,000 room temple was the vision of the architect George D. Mason who obsessed over the details of the building, adding in many secret passageways and hidden staircases. Rumors persist to this day that after Mason's wife left him due to financial hardships caused by the building's construction costs, Mason climbed to the top of the Temple and leapt to his death. Security guards often report seeing the apparition of Mason repeating the path to the roof that led to his demise. However, Mason actually died peacefully in his sleep.

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pere cheney — Photo used with permission: Martin Hogan / Flickr (CC)

Dating back to 1874, this once thriving lumberjack town had a population of roughly 1,500 in its heyday—and only 18 by 1917. All that is left of the town now is its rundown cemetery and the widely spread legend of a supposed witch that cursed the town and caused it to fall into ruin. A more logical explanation for what snuffed out the town's population is diphtheria, but that's a lot less fun to think about.

The Eloise Psychiatric Hospital dates back to 1839 and was originally called the Wayne County Poorhouse. Once a state of the art facility (it was the first in the area to use x-rays and to have an in-house dialysis unit), the hospital took a turn for the worse after the Great Depression. Reports of patient abuse began flooding in. In 1984, the hospital shut down and now stands in ruins. Many believe it to be haunted by the spirits of patients who suffered abuse there.

The Whitney House was built between 1890 and 1894 by David Whitney Jr., one of Detroit's wealthiest residents. Both David and his wife died in the mansion; their spirits are thought to remain there to this day. David makes his presence known by moving the mansion's elevator from floor to floor, opening and shutting the doors at all hours of the day and night, as though he's keeping an eye on the place.

"The Michigan Dogman" is a half man/half dog hybrid that's thought to cause problems in various parts of Michigan. The one thought to have been captured in the CCTV footage above was first reported in 1887 in Wexford County, according to the person who posted the above YouTube video. Not so much a haunting, but an interesting addition to Michigan folklore none the less.