Nahma Inn’s haunted reputation explored
NAHMA — “Not only do the spirits bring us back here and stuff, it’s the owners. When we first came here, they made us feel right at home,” said Yooper Paranormal Investigator, Kelly Carlson. “They were wonderful with us, made us feel like family and the employees also. We just keep coming back because we feel very welcome not only by them, but by what we find upstairs.”
Like the rest of the Upper Peninsula, Nahma is deep-rooted with a rich history, dating back to the late 1800s. Bay de Noquet Lumber Company resided in the Nahma area from 1881 to 1951, building the village as a company town. With nearly 1,500 people employed by the company, the Nahma Inn was constructed in 1909 for the employees.
The area was home to nearly 800 people in the peak of the lumber industry, but the town was sold in 1951 to a playground manufacturer, with high hopes of turning it into a resort town. A lack of financial means to do so soon became apparent and nearly 70 years later, the sleepy little town has a population of just 500, according to the 2010 census. The Inn, which has a four and a half star rating on Trip Advisor, is a main attraction for visitors looking for a quaint place to stay, good food and a good scare.
“It’s known for Nell. Nell is the resident haunt, the resident ghost. Every single time we come here, we experience something,” said Carlson.
Carlson said rumor has it that Nell had an affair with a man named Charlie Good, whose spirit is also said to be roaming the halls of the second floor.
“When we heard the stories, it was just said that there were spirits here. When we first came here, the owner, Charlie, said, ‘Oh yeah, there’s still spirits here all the time. Nell is still here, Charlie Good is here, sometimes things move and you’ll hear things,” Carlson said. “We were really excited to stay here.”
The duo have spent a weekend a month at the Inn for the last year, consistently catching high activity during their stay, capturing EVP’s and having items moved.
“My phone disappeared off the nightstand and I found it in my equipment case,” said Carlson’s Co-Investigator and sister, Trish Kautz. “We had a friend of ours stay here a few weeks ago and her EVP machine was moved from one side of the room to the other.”
“I’m laying there and I heard a woman laugh in our room and I hoped I got that on EVP. We always run a machine recording when we’re sleeping, always,” Carlson said. “We always run a video camera too. It’s kind of weird to videotape yourself while you’re sleeping, but you never know what you’re going to get.”
Employees of the Inn have also experienced high activity while on the clock, ranging from apparitions and hearing people talking who weren’t there to knives being pulled off a magnet strip and coins falling from seemingly nowhere. But, the women insist there is nothing sinister about these spirits.
“There is no malicious intent here. They’re all nice, good spirits. We have been told in a room to keep out on an EVP, but it’s nothing,” Carlson said. “It’s just like we have grumpy one in room number eleven.”
The ladies always experience something while on a visit, but it’s not always as blunt when energy is relatively low as it varies day to day dependent on events and activities at the Inn. Carlson and Kautz are always up for a trip to Nahma and often go on fun excursions with interested parties looking to experience some paranormal activity. If you want to go on a ghost hunt with the ladies, you can contact them through their Facebook page.