UP Haunted hot spots: Mackinac Island
MACKINAC ISLAND — You may know Mackinac Island as a destination spot for Michiganders. However if you’re a paranormal investigator or enthusiast , you may know it for something else. ABC 10’s Sarah Mac concludes our U.P. haunted hot spots series and takes a look at a past investigation.
You may see Mackinac Island as a destination spot for Michiganders with it’s picturesque homes, historic bars and pubs, and let’s not forget the famous fudge shops.
The Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research Society – also known as U.P.P.R.S. – and their friends, however, see it as a paranormal hotbed.
Author of Haunts of Mackinac, Todd Clements says in an interview with Keweenaw Video Productions, “I believe, as well as many others, that Mackinac Island is one of the most haunted locations in the world. Based on it’s small size and sheer number of ghosts and ghost stories that come from numerous locations around the island, I truly believe that Mackinac Island is ‘The Island of the Dead.'”
Members of team say that this may be the most haunted place in Michigan.
Even though many of the shops and buildings have been renovated over the years, owners and patrons still take pride in all of the history, and the ghost stories.
Michele Dobbs of Patrick Sinclair’s Irish Pub says, “I was closing one night, and I was working with the till, and one of the wine bottles from the top shelf fell off the rack and then hit the floor, but it didn’t roll or bounce, and it didn’t break, and there’s a lip at the top of the shelf so they can’t slid down on their own. It was a little strange. I don’t know, I think that something just wanted us to know that it was here and say, ‘Hello.'”
Normally for larger investigations, like this one, the team gets between a few nights to a week to complete it, but this time they only had one night to investigate Mission Point.
According to one of the teams Co–Founders, Tim Ellis, the team had a rough ride back to the U.P. on the ferry after investigating.
He says that they were being rocked by some of the largest waves he had ever seen on the lake.
Co–Founder of U.P.P.R.S. Tim Ellis says, “What really surprised me though, and could have been the most scary thing all weekend long was the ride home. It had nothing to do with the investigation at all, but was it maybe the spirits one last time telling us to, you know, move along? I was actually scared, I was literally scared for my life on that ride home, and, you know, that was just a perfect way to end what ended up being a great night at Mission Point.”
Perhaps next time you visit the island, to quote one of my favorite spooky Disney attractions, “a ghost will follow you home.”
If you are visiting a U.P. haunted hot spot this weekend share it with us on Facebook by either tagging ABC–Ten and the CW Five in your photo or using the hash–tag #UPhaunts.