Gleanings from the Ghost Yard @ghostsandhistory - Tumblr Blog

Ohio’s Bloody Bridge

Often the backstories connected to ghost sightings are just legends that evolve over time to give a plausible reason as to why a place is haunted.

The story of Ohio’s Bloody Bridge is unique in that the story told about why this bridge is haunted is true.

In the 1850s, a bridge that crosses the Miami-Erie Canal, located near Spencerville, Ohio was the site of a grisly murder.

Bill Jones and his girlfriend Minnie Warren seemed to be happy and madly in love so it was a surprise to everyone when Minnie broke-up with Bill and started dating Jack Billings instead.

Bill who now was angry and jealous plotted his revenge. One cold fall night in 1852, he waited near the bridge that crossed the canal. Jack and Minnie had attended a party that evening and Bill knew they had to cross the canal to return home.

When Jack and Minnie’s wagon reached the middle of the bridge, Bill jumped out of the shadows with an axe in his hands. Before the couple could react Bill lopped Jack’s head off with one fatal swing.

Minnie let out a scream and as she stood she lost her footing and fell into the cold waters below–not knowing how to swim she drowned.

When the townsfolk discovered the bodies they launched a search for Bill Jones. But he was not found. Several years later a body was found in a nearby well. Most believed this was Bill’s body. People speculated he had committed suicide or had fallen victim to an accident after the murders.

Soon after this crime the locals started calling this bridge, “Bloody Bridge.”

Also soon after, quite a few people stated they saw the ghost of a headless man walking along the bridge after sundown. This made the bridge even more notorious and it became a popular destination.

Other witnesses stated that when they looked into the waters below the bridge at night they saw the faces of Bill and Minnie looking back at them.

The original bridge was torn down and a new one was placed in the original location. The story was so beloved by this time hordes of folks showed up to take a souvenir from the old bridge.

The construction of the new bridge did not impact the haunting. For people still report seeing the figure of a headless ghost and the faces in the water.

In 1976, the Auglaize County Historical Society placed a plaque at the site, proclaiming the bridge was indeed haunted.

It reads:

“During the canal years of the 1850s a rivalry grew between Bill Jones and Jack Billings for the love of Minnie Warren. There became hatred by Bill because Minnie chose Jack. On a fall night in 1854, returning home form a party, Minnie and Jack were surprised on the bridge by Bill, armed with an axe, With one swing, Bill severed Jack’s head. Seeing this Minnie screamed and fell into a watery grave. Bill disappeared, and when a skeleton was found years later in a nearby well, people asked was it suicide or justice.”

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The Haunted Carrollton Jail New Orleans

What once was the separate community of Carrollton the seat of Jefferson Parish now sits in the uptown historic district of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Old timers remember the old jail in Carrollton that sat behind the courthouse. It was once located nearby where the historic streetcars still run today.

After the Civil War this jail housed a vicious criminal accused of murdering his wife. The police officers at this station enraged by this crime–took matters into their own hands.

They beat this man to death in his cell. It was stated with his dying breath he promised he would return from the grave–presumably to take revenge.

Reports from this police station in 1899 reflect that this wife-killer did return to haunt the jail. His violent presence was noted near the cell wall where he was beaten to death.

An unseen force suddenly tossed a woman who was standing against this wall away from it. Bravely she retook her spot three more times. Each of these times as she leaned against the wall she was mysteriously thrown off.

Later, in the same week a police officer lying on a couch near this wall was tossed away from it along with the couch. Yet another officer experienced this same phenomenon.

Rumors began to spread about these odd incidents.

Other strange incidents involving the wall began to occur. A portrait of Admiral Dewey was seen spinning and a painting of General P.T. Beauregard–of Shiloh fame–dropped and broke as it hit the floor.

Both items were securely attached to this wall at the time of these incidents.

The Carrollton jail now was believed to be haunted.

Prisoners kept at the jail stated, “they were beaten in their cells” by an unseen entity.

Several officers heard mysterious footsteps and others saw paperweights fly from their desks into the air.

One officer even claimed this angry ghost tried to strangle him.

Yet another ghost was seen at the jail. This apparition was that of a deceased police officer who had worked at the station. His appearances ended as abruptly as they began.

The Carrollton jail was torn down in the 1930s. The wreaking crew stated they saw a vague figure watching them as they worked. They heard this figure laughing.

Despite the fact this jail has been gone a long time there are still reports that this ghost is seen near the old Courthouse and streetcar line.

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The Lemp Mansion is a brewing company in St. Louis Missouri. The Lemp Mansion was built in 1868 and in 1876 the Lemp family moved in. The Lemp Mansion made the list of top 9 haunted houses in America in a 1980 issue of Life Magazine. The Lemp Mansion is now a restaurant and brewery and guests report being touched and having their clothes pulled on, silverware gets moved around, tablecloths get pulled on, and the ghost of a deformed boy called the “Monkey Faced Boy” is seen in the attic and he is believed to be the illegitimate son of Zeke who was William’ s brother who was born with down syndrome and the family was so ashamed they kept the poor kid in the attic.

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Bobby Mackey’s Music World

Although the Mackey’s have endured a number of years of success with the tavern, the good times have never quite erased the taint caused by the history of murder and death. The haunting’s at Bobby Mackey’s Music World do and will always remain stained with blood. According to 32 sworn affidavits from regular patrons, staff, other eye witnesses and local police Bobby Mackey’s Music World is seriously haunted. The paranormal activity within the club is most often times proceeded by the strong smell of rose perfume, attributed to Johanna one of their resident ghosts. Famed Carl Lawson, the nightclubs caretaker, has had several paranormal experiences with the old jukebox in the dance hall. It is said that the jukebox has come on suddenly and has played an old tune from the 1940′s, The anniversary Waltz. Many are quick to attribute it to a malfunction in the player, the only thing is that songs like this from the 1930-1940′s era were never loaded. The Waltz is a particular favorite in that it has been heard numerous times by different people. Chairs have moved inexplicably, rooms have gone cold, doors have unlocked on their own, lights have been turned on and off, bodily welts and scratches have appeared out of no where, people have been poked, prodded and touched and people have heard their names called, only to turn around and see no one there. Shadow figures have been seen in the basement as well as the bar area of the night club. Who the figures are no one is certain, many of the staff attribute the ghostly like figures to Scott Jackson and Johanna. A tall man in a cowboy hat is also seen wondering the hallways as well. No one is sure of his identity but some claim it is the previous owner who committed suicide when the mobsters took his business and ran him out of town when the tavern was known as the Primrose in the late 1940′s. A sense of great fear is said to overwhelm anyone who enters the basement. Some are said to feel nauseated, sweaty, and short of breath. But, perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the Bobby Mackey’s saga are the claims by several people that they have had spirits enter their bodies, or momentarily posses them, while in the club. Some of the sworn affidavits claim they felt cold chills run through their bodies, while others claimed to have taken on different personalities and even facial features while inside. After a while Bobby decided that his best bet to battle the paranormal forces that had seemed to take over the nightclub was to perform an exorcism. On August 8, 1991 reverend Glenn Coe performed a supposedly successful cleansing and exorcism of the building and surrounding grounds concentrating specifically on the well area. The entire feet was recorded on video tape. Unfortunately, the exorcism wasn’t as successful as first conceived. Within a few weeks the paranormal activity returned with a vengeance and continues to this day.

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photo by Dawn DuBois

Mary Virginia “Jennie” Wade was a 20-year-old resident of Gettysburg engaged to be married to Corp. Johnston H. Skelly of the 87th Pennsylvania. She worked as a seamstress with her mother in their home on Breckenridge Street. To make ends meet, they also took care of a 6-year-old boarder named Isaac. For safety during the first day’s battle, Jennie and her family moved to the home of Jennie’s sister, Georgia Wade McClellan on Baltimore Street. Her sister had given birth with great difficulty around 2:15 P.M., one hour before the Confederates rode into Gettysburg, and Jennie was caring for her. The McClellan side of the house on Baltimore Street, less than 50 yards north of Cemetery Hill, thus housed Mrs. Wade, Jennie, her brother Harry, her young boarder Isaac, her sister Georgia, and the newborn son. There was no heavy fighting in the area but a Federal picket line did run behind the little brick house, there was intermittent skirmishing between it and Confederate outposts in the Town proper. Protected by the sturdy brick walls of the house, they lived for three days in the midst of the greatest battle ever seen in this hemisphere. Jennie spent most of July 1 distributing bread to Union soldiers and filling their canteens with water. By late afternoon on July 2, the diminishing supply of bread made it apparent that more bread would be needed the next day. Jennie and her mother left the yeast to rise until the morning of the 3rd. At about 7 A.M. on the morning of July 3, the Confederate sharpshooters began firing at the north windows of the house. The prep work to bake biscuits was begun at 8 A.M. At about 8:30 A.M. while Jennie stood in the kitchen kneading dough, a Confederate musket ball smashed through a door on the north side of the house, pierced another into the kitchen, and struck Jennie in the back beneath her left shoulder blade embedding itself in her corset, killing her instantly. The cries of her sister and mother attracted Federal soldiers who carried her body to the cellar. Later she was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in a coffin some Confederate soldiers had fashioned for an officer. In the early afternoon of July 4, Jennie’s mother baked 15 loaves of bread from the dough which Jennie had kneaded.

Jennie Wade was the only civilian casualty of the battle of Gettysburg. Nor was the tragedy complete, for unbeknownst to Jennie, her fiance` Corp. Skelly had been wounded and taken prisoner at Winchester on May 13. Transferred to Virginia, he died in a hospital on July 12. News that he had died in Confederate hands came several days after the Southern Army had withdrawn from Gettysburg.

Her home is haunted and you can visit it, along with her gravesite, in Gettysburg, PA

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Tecumseh, MI

photo by Dawn DuBois

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The site of one of the deadliest battles in American history is naturally still haunted by the vestiges of war, where families clashed and broke apart on the battlefield during a staggering three-day campaign.

The battlefield itself became a burial ground for thousands of men, many of whom were later relocated to proper graves. The Gettysburg Cemetery offers a final resting place for all of the men who never made it home. Shadowy phantom figures in both Union and Confederate uniforms still pace the battlefield and cemetery.

But Senate notes that one of the most persistent ghosts is really just there to be social. In the cemetery, a man is often seen wearing a black hat with a star, symbolic of one of the Texas regiments fighting with the Confederates at Gettysburg. He often tries to converse with tourists and on several occasions has posed with families for photos or takes a photo of family if they request it, Senate said. During photo development or even on the camera’s screen, the man disappears.

(photos by Dawn DuBois)

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Ghost Ship on Lake Superior

This video was posted by YouTube user Jason Asselin in October of 2016. He saw the anomaly on Lake Superior and began filming it. Most people, including the uploader believe it is a ghost ship. They say that what you’re seeing is the sails and the mast of the ship. It has long been a thought that the Great Lakes are haunted, especially Lake Erie, but if this video truly shows a ghost ship then those claims may be right. Paranormal enthusiasts believe that it’s the manifestation of the SS Bannockburn which mysteriously disappeared during a storm over a hundred years ago.

There are those who believe it’s not a ghost ship at all. Theories range from optical illusions, mirages and even a dirty lens. The camera never focuses on the object which makes it hard to make out, and it is hard to know for sure what was caught on camera. The film is weird and eerie, but what was truly captured on camera may never be known.

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Butler (William Ganong) Cemetery

William Ganong Cemetery, more well known as Butler Cemetery, is in Westland, MI off Henry Ruff Road. It is considered one of the most active spots in Michigan for paranormal encounters.

The summer of 2002 I visited it briefly during the day (photos in the photo section). Although I didn’t experience during my brief visit, I was appalled by the condition of the cemetery itself. Many tombstones has been vandalized, and you can tell that the legends surrounding the site have drawn many people to it, not all of them respectful of the dead.

In the 1980’s noted paranormal author Marion Kuclo (also known as Gundella the Green Witch) visited this site and made a gruesome discovery. It appeared that one of the grave sites had been disturbed and she found a human scalp with long blonde hair attached, as well as bones with the scraps of a white dress. She claimed to see shovel marks, and coffin boards stacked neatly nearby, but the authorities passed it off as an animal or rain damage.

Since that time there have been numerous accounts of people seeing a woman in white cross the road in front of their cars as the drive past, even causing many car accidents.

A Westland resident, Tony Pointer, claims to have seen ghosts at Butler Cemetery not once but twice. The first time, late at night, he saw the figure of a woman dressed in white crossing the road in front of the cemetery. He swerved to avoid hitting her, and she vanished in front of his eyes. A year later, he was again passing the cemetery. This time, it was just at dusk on a foggy evening in late October. The lady in white was standing in the graveyard next to a large monument. Nearby stood a second figure, a man dressed in what looked like a grey uniform. Tony stopped his car to get a better look at them, and they both seemed to dissolve in the fog. There were no other parked cars in sight. He was certain that the figures he had seen were not just ordinary people visiting the grave of a loved one, as has been suggested. “No sir,” asserts Tony, “those were ghosts. I saw them, and nobody is going to convince me otherwise!”

The cemetery was donated by a local farmer in 1832 from a portion of his property to be used for burials. Said to be one of the most haunted places in Michigan, it is now closed for burials but not before 350 people were buried there, notably 17 of the Ganong family along with several WWI and II veterans. It is now completely overgrown, its front gate rusty and covered with vines. In addition to the sound of voices and chains rattling emanating from the cemetery, there are two spirits said to haunt this area, a woman in white who is seen both in the cemetery as well as crossing Henry Ruff Road (causing a high number of minor accidents along this stretch of road) as well as a man in uniform but, when approached, they disappear in front of your eyes! If local legends hold true, the hauntings began with renovation to the cemetery in which some graves were moved. This has also been a site for some form of ritualistic activity as reported by the Detroit News in 2000 after a kettle with bones, feathers and charms was found as well as pentagrams painted on tombstones.

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Denton Road Bridge

Clinton Twp. Michigan

There are those who say it is a ghost seen as a ball of blue or red light that chases cars late at night. Then there are others who say nothing is there to be seen. The ghost is part of the local folklore, stories told by one generation to the next, tales best told by the light of a campfire, or in a darkened room.

Still, there are those who believe there really is a ghost on Denton Road.

According to one story, the lights are the ghost of a young mother and child who were killed under the bridge on Denton Road. Years ago, a farmer who lived near the bridge came home drunk one night to find his wife with another man. The farmer killed the man and hid the body. Then, so the story goes, he went after his wife, who was hiding under the bridge with their infant child in her arms. There the farmer found them. The farmer disappeared from the area soon after and was never seen again.

This might be a good story, but there is no record of any such slaying.

What might be the first published story of the ghost was written by Eileen Harrison of The Ypsilanti Press on June 14, 1963.

“The ghost is a Johnny-come-lately in the spirit world,” wrote Harrison, “having first been reported but a few years ago when development of home sites began in the Geddes Road area.”

“One of the original stories is that he started his nocturnal hikes from an old barn on very dark nights. When it unaccountably burned he still used the site, or so the story goes.”

Another story told by Harrison was that the ghost made its home in the residence of a Walter Herbert, who she said “was the least likely person to have phantasmal connections.” He died in February of 1962, and had lived alone in a century old house on Proctor Road. He was remembered for his ability to grow beautiful flowers and for his kindness in giving his flowers to others.

“But the residence remained empty for nearly a year and soon acquired an aura of mystery for the young fry to whom it became ‘the haunted house.’ And, what was more natural than to transfer the ready made 'ghost’ from his burned-out barn to the more commodious quarters?

"So young couples began driving past with as much interest as they formerly gave Denton Road but all they conjured up were dust and Wayne County sheriff’s deputies summoned by residents of the area who were getting more than tired of dusting the furniture every time the spirit world pops off with its bobbing light.”

The house was demolished because of vandalism.

In her story Harrison wrote that the lights were caused by marsh gas. “Methane is formed from decomposing vegetable matter and is colorless, odorless and inflammable. It burns with a faintly luminous flame and with the evolution of much heat.”

Harrison noted that there was no way to account for the ignition of the gas, or for it chasing after cars. Other possible causes noted by Harrison were fox fire, phosphorescence from decaying or rotten wood, St. Elmo’s fire and ball lightning.

In recent years the old bridge has been replaced and the road widened. So, perhaps the ghost is no longer there, maybe seeking a new place to hunt.

Before it was domlished , I went to the scene in early 2003.

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Devils Den

Gettysburg, PA

altered photography by Dawn DuBois

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Clinton Inn

Clinton, Michigan

Early settlers came to Clinton From New York state and named the village after their state governor, Dewitt Clinton. The site of the Clinton Inn was first settled by Alpheius Kies, who built a log house. After several changes in ownership, Alonzo Clark built the present 3-story brick hotel. It officially opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1901.

Originally the building featured fireplaces, of which four remain, a ball room over the adjacent store and a drummers room - a traveling salesman’s place to display his wares - in what is now our Tavern.

The hotel’ has three stories; the second floor is all guest rooms while the third is apartments. This was done in the mid 1980’s, along with adding a second dining room which was once a retail store.

In 1999 I had a bridal shower there. During the decorating the day before, I was told that many times things would be set down, and seconds later be gone, either to be found at the other side of the room, or missing entirely. I have added some pictures from the party that show many different orbs. As orbs are highly controversial, I can’t say that this necessarily indicates anything or not, but I can say the entire building has what I can only describe as an odd “vibe.”

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This location was once one of the largest mental hospitals in the country. Eloise was orignally opened in 1839 as the Wayne County Poorhouse to house the mentally ill. Around the 1950`s it is reported that patients were treated with insulin and electro-shock therapy for examples. There were also many reportings of patient beatings as well as patients being housed in overcrowed, unsanitary condtions.The majority of it has now been torn down or made into of office buildings. The few buildings that do remain on the property of the old Asylum are the D building now known as the Kay Beard building, also the fire house, the power plant and the bakery are all still there.The ghosts of many of the tormented patients walk the halls of this asylum. Voices are heard by the workers and teenagers who go to this location for a thrill. Many picture of paranormal things have been captured at this location. Lights are turned on and off. Growls and moans are heard near the playground built for the use of the office workers` kids. The cemetery that is located on Henry Buff Road is siad to actually be more haunted then the actual building itself. The cemetery is home to over 7000 former residents of Eloise.

You can find more general information and even video footage and a map of the grounds athttp://www.talesofeloise.com

In 2003 I visited the grounds, though was unable to secure permission to investigate inside the buildings.

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Bowling Green State University, Ohio

The theater at Bowling Green State University in Ohio has a ghost. Her name is Alice, and you better show her decent respect if you want your production to come off smoothly.

How did Alice come to be a ghost? Well, in one version of her story she was an actress playing Desdemona in Othello, when she was struck and killed by a falling object on the stage.

In another version she was a former theater student killed In a car crash on her way back to to the University to pick up an award for Actress of the Year.

The story goes that Alice has been officially invited to each and every performance at the theater by the stage manager, who goes on to the stage alone to make his invitation at the end of the final dress rehearsal.

You also so have to thank her for letting the play run or production run smoothly, and for letting you use the theater.

If you don’t do these little acts of kindness to wards Alice, expect trouble. Lights will burn out, nails come out of sets, things gets tipped over, and so on.

In 1994 my college partner, Darlene, and I went to the BGSU theater to interview the students about their resident ghost. It was part of a weekend long trip around northern Ohio where we investigated many haunted places.

We entered the theater, and Darlene decided she wanted the shot to be set up on the stage. You see, we both went to a journalism and broadcasting college. Darlene was studying to be a reporter, my self, a camera operator. We were producing a hour long show about haunted places in Ohio for our final project of the year.

After checking my Mic’s, and my camera, and getting one lone light set up to light my subjects, we began the interview. Darlene asked the student we had there about the ghost and got the stories above. At one point I wanted to switch something with the camera, so we were on a pause when I said, “So, what would happen if we DIDN’T say Thanks to Alice for letting us do this?”

At that moment, the light bulb I had set up earlier to light Darlene and the student blew out. I don’t mean, either , that it BURNED out. It exploded.

Needless to say, the interview wrapped up shortly afterward, as the student felt a sudden urge to be anywhere else. Unfortunately, we don’t have the interview on tape, or ANY of our weekend on tape, because when we took the tapes to our school to edit them, there was no sound on any of them from the whole weekend.

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Mourning Ensemble

1894-1896

The FIDM Museum

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McCourtie Park is a fascinating place. Having grown up close to it I have spent a lot of time there, doing anything from ghost hunting, to letterboxing, to sledding and picnicking. If you haven’t been there, I suggest you try to make a trip, it is a certain unique experience.

McCourtie Park

Garden creates fantasy out of cement!

SOMERSET CENTER – As dusk approaches and the winds ruffle the autumn leaves, their shades of gold and red casting a kaleidoscope of colors in the bubbling brook that winds its way through McCourtie Park, you might catch a glimpse of a woman dressed in a long blue gown moving quietly across a bridge.

Or is she wearing black? Ghost hunters disagree on the color of her dress, but the suggestion of a gentle ghostly presence is just one of the unique features of this roadside park in the tiny hamlet of Somerset Center, just east of Lenawee County’s Irish Hills.

W.H.L. McCourtie, owner of the now-defunct Trinity Portland Cement Co., in Cement City, along Highway 127, had a fondness for concrete and whimsy. His estate, known as Aiden Lair, was the perfect place to create a fantastical garden. It looks like a fairy tale run amok. Cement chimneys created to look like tree trunks rise out of an underground rathskeller built into the side of a hill where McCourtie (known as Herb to his friends) played poker with such Detroit bigwigs as auto baron Henry Ford.

Local lore says tunnels ran underground here, perfect for bootleggers to smuggle liquor for those all-night poker games. A total of 17 cement folk art-style bridges cross the meandering stream on the 42-acre property.

These unique sculptures, called El Trabejo Rustico, Spanish for rustic work, were created by Mexican artisans Dionicio Rodriquez and Ralph Corona of Texas. McCourtie had made it rich as a Texas oil man before returning home to Somerset. Also known by the French term, faux bois, or fake wood, it’s a complex process of shaping, molding, staining and adding texture to the concrete so it looks real.

For years almost a forgotten technique, this early- to mid-20th century folk art is now enjoying a resurgence in interest.

Built in the early 1930s, each bridge is unique and beckons walkers to cross over and into wooded glades which, in the fall, are ablaze with color. One bridge, surely a home for hobbits, has the look of a thatched cottage, albeit a cement one.

A simpler bridge is designed to resemble an old-fashioned swinging bridge, the cement scored to replicate ropes and wood; planked seats, also out of cement, invite visitors to stop halfway across and rest.

Weeping willows crowd the sides of the stream, dripping long, feathery branches onto the waters. Secret glens offer seating and elaborate birdhouses, including several tall purple martin houses that can shelter more than 200 birds.

Interestingly, this place of enchantment, located just off Highway 127, on historic US 12, now designated as a Heritage Trail, often is empty, though it is just off the highway. Maybe gnomes have stolen the signs marking it as a park, so look for street signs. It is on the northwest corner of US 12 and South Jackson Road. After turning north off of US 12, take the unmarked road on your left.

There is no admission fee, and, if you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the wandering ghost, referred to, affectionately, as The Lady in Blue.

Jane Ammeson is a freelance writer based in southwestern Michigan

Press News Service - Grand Rapids Press

Sunday, September 16, 2007

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Here is a great link to the park, with driving directions and stories:

http://www.spiritsociety.org/report.php?HauntID=2

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McCourtie Park (The Bridge Park) Somerset, Michigan

Neighborhood: 12715 East Chicago Road

Somerset Center, MI 49282

McCourtie Park got its nickname ‘The Bridge Park" from the key attractions of the park: 17 bridges that span the stream meandering through the park. Each bridge is its own unique design and no two bridges are exactly alike. Visitors to McCourtie Park can wander the 42 acre estate crossing the stream on the bridges or can set and enjoy nature including the variety of birds attracted to the park by the elaborate bird houses on the grounds.

It isn’t however the number of bridges or the natural setting that makes McCourtie Park so unique. It is rather the bridge construction. While the bridges appear to be built from rough trees, planed lumber, heavy rope, and thatch the bridges are in reality nothing but steel rods and concrete. There is no wood at all used on any of the 17 bridges in the park.

McCourtie Park, the 'Bridge Park,’ is named for the once owner of the property William H. L. McCourtie. McCourtie first came familiar with cement by W. F. Cowham of Jackson, Michigan in the late 1800s. Shortly after that McCourtie went to Dallas, Texas where he made a sizable amount of money by speculating in oil. In the 1920s McCourtie returned to his family estate in Somerset Center which was at that time named “Aiden Lair”.

It’s believed that during his time in Texas McCourtie discovered el trabeio rustico, (Spanish for rustic work) the Mexican tradition of sculpting wet concrete to make it look like wood. Around 1930 McCourtie hired

McCourtie Park (The Bridge Park) Somerset, Michigan

Neighborhood: 12715 East Chicago Road

Somerset Center, MI 49282

United States of America two Mexican artists George Cardoso and Ralph Corona to construct the bridges that now decorate the W.H. L. McCourtie Estate. The two 'trees’ that stand guard at the front of the property are also constructed by the same el trabeio rustico method and serve as chimneys for the underground rathskeller (an underground tavern) and garages.

Stories Connected to Aiden Lair, The McCourtie Estate, and The Bridge Park:

1) Rumor not proven - in the mid-1800s Aiden Lair was one of the stops for slaves escaping to Canada.

2) Story fact, William McCourtie offered white paint to anyone in Somerset Center to paint their houses in an attempt to beautify the town.

3) The McCourtie Estate rathskeller was frequented by Detroit automobile manufacturer Henry Ford who would join McCourtie for all night poker parties.

4) Fact the McCourtie estate is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

5) Rumor - that the same tunnels used to aid freedom bound slaves were also used for running bootleg liquor during the prohibition period in Michigan.

The most talked about story connected to McCourtie Park is “The Lady in Blue”. Yes, the Bridge Park in Somerset Center, Michigan has a ghost. While she is referred to as the Lady in Blue some have said she’s wearing black not blue but all say she’s a beautiful lady in a long dress that wanders the grounds. Reports say the Lady in Blue has been seen around the rathskeller and drifting across the bridges in the park. There has to this point been no suggestion as to who she might be or why she roves this peaceful bridge park.

Besides the 17 bridges at McCourtie Park, Somerset Center, Michigan you will also find a large pavilion, picnic tables, and outdoor grills. Other amenities at the Bridge Park include tennis courts, playground equipment, a ball diamond, and outdoor restrooms.

Located on US-12 between US-127 and Coldwater the Bridge Park is situated on the northwest corner of S. Jackson Rd. and US-12 the unmarked entrance to McCourtie Park is off S. Jackson Rd. The park is about 10 miles west of Brooklyn, Michigan, 20 miles south of Jackson, Michigan, and 30 miles east of Coldwater, Michigan.

Other attractions near McCourtie Park include Michigan International Speedway (MIS) just south of Brooklyn, Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farm less than a mile north of the park on South Jackson Rd, and numerous quaint

McCourtie Park (The Bridge Park) Somerset, Michigan

Neighborhood: 12715 East Chicago Road

Somerset Center, MI 49282

United States of America antique shops in Somerset Center. There are several very nice lakes within a few miles of McCourtie Park among them Lake LeAnn and Somerset Lake. Numerous motels and campgrounds can be found in or around Jackson and Brooklyn, Michigan.

On the sign at the front of McCourtie Park in Somerset Center, Michigan are the words 'At the height of the Great Depression, McCourtie offered his estate as a place “Where Friends Meet Friends and Part More Friendly.”’

By:Faith Draper

MY story of the park: By Dawn DuBois (pictures above also by Dawn DuBois)

One day I was at the park with my neice, nephew, and thier grandmother. We were down near the bridges, but still had a view of the underground garage. I happened to look that way, and standing by the doors I saw a woman in a dark blue dress. The clothing was what I would have described at the time as “old fashioned.”

I actually didn’t think much of it, I guess I assumed that it was someone dressed for some sort of reenactment. I turned my head for just a moment, and when I looked back, she was gone. Again, at the time, I didn’t think anything of it, assuming she had went inside.

Imagine my surprise years later when “Haunted Michigan”, by Rev. Gerald S. Hunter came out, and upon reading the book I found out that the most seen spector at McCourtie park was a woman, in a blue dress. I am convinced I saw her that day, as there was never anyt other explantion.

At that time I decided I would go there one night and take some pictures. Orbs and mists abound in them, but I didn’t see anything or anyone. I did, however, have a very odd experience with a port-a-potty on the grounds.

As I walked towards this structure, the door slowly opened, and then shut. On exploring this, I noted that the door was a spring loaded dorr, and was actually quite difficult to open as the springs had become rusted. I made sure the door was shut tightly, that it was not set on an incline, and that the latch was in place. As I walked away, it again slowly swung open, and then shut on its own.

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Gleanings from the Ghost Yard