Dianna Higgs Stampler blends historical facts with insightful stories of haunted beacons in her book, “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses.” According to Stampler, Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state and “nearly one-fifth of all the lights in the state, past and present, have a ghostly story.”
Paranormal speculation may surround 30 of the 129 iconic beacons dotted along our extended coast but the historical significance cannot be denied. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum estimates these treacherous unpredictable waters have resulted in around 30,000 deaths with more than 25,000 shipwrecks at the bottom of the Great Lakes.
The need and importance of lighthouses with their fog horns, bells, and cannons was most evident during the late 1800s as Michigan emerged as the leading lumber producing state in the nation. These events gave rise to a very serious breed of professionals with lifelong dedication, pretty much unparalleled. The lighthouse keeper, lightkeeper, or “wickies” as they were called in the early days became a family business, often passed down from generation to generation. While the lightkeeper might have been considered a man’s job, at least 19 women were appointed to keep the beacons burning, usually assuming the responsibilities of head keeper following the death of their husbands.
It’s rumored the dedication to duties has extended beyond death for former keepers Captain Townshend at Seul Choix Point and John Herman at Waugoshance Shoal near Mackinaw City. Stampler states the Seul Choix Point Lighthouse may be “regarded as one of Michigan’s most haunted lighthouses” with as many as five ghosts. Stampler claims Willie Townshend’s cigar smoke still lingers throughout the structure as his presence seems to be the most active spirit at Seul Choix. John Herman probably the most infamous keeper at the Waugoshance light has been described as a heavy drinking prankster. After locking his assistant in the lighthouse lantern room late one night, John Herman was never seen again but the lightkeepers that followed claimed the pranks continued.
Stampler attributes these hauntings to former lightkeepers as well as the spirits of shipwrecked sailors seeking the safety and solace of the light. Stampler goes on to say that among the many ghosts that haunt our state’s lighthouses a handful are children, “most often girls dressed in period clothing.” To help explain why ghosts haunt, Stampler points to a common belief that spirits are often at unrest due to a tragic untimely death or dedication to service. Some hauntings indicate residual energy that is somehow recorded and replayed but other hauntings suggest an intelligent spirit interacting with the living. Evidence of Michigan’s haunted lighthouses includes: photos, recorded EVP ghost voices, icy cold spots, footsteps, smell of tobacco burning, laughter, hearing voices, seeing apparitions, beacon lights being seen even though there was no electricity to power it, and more. Here in Michigan we are surrounded by these mysterious structures and most of the lighthouses and attached museums are open to visitors.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pretty Lights
The wintery fun continues downtown with the exhibit “Ice Luminaries” running this weekend only, Jan. 29 – Feb. 2. The exhibit features 10 giant icicles with lights frozen in the center that will light the way along the Gillett Bridge located near Ah-Nab-Awen Park. While out and about, make sure to check out the other exhibits such as HYBYCOZO,” a series of large-scale installations and artworks that investigate geometric exploration and patterns through light, shadow, and perception, located at Ah-Nab-Awen Park. For more, click here.
We are suppose to be getting a snowstorm on Sunday, which means you might have some downtime. If so, the Kent ISD Board of Education is asking community members for their input on Kent ISD’s next superintendent. The 14-question survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete, asks participants to rank skills, character and education traits in determining what qualities would make a good superintendent. Surveys must be turned in by Jan. 31.
William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse on Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. (Wikipedia/Public Domain)
Fun Fact
Michigan has the distinction of the state with the most lighthouses and perhaps one of the most unique is the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse, which is made entirely of George marble. Located on Detroit’s Belle Isle, the marble was selected because the builders knew that it would have to withstand Michigan weather. The 58-foot structure has a 47-foot shaft with a bronze light at the top that still functions today. It was completed in 1930 at the cost of about $100,000. William Livingstone was a prominent Detroit resident who was best known for his shipping accomplishments on the Great Lakes, including the creation of a deep-water channel in the lower Detroit River which became known as the Livingstone Channel. For a peek inside the lighthouse, click here.
Looking for a a trip that would follow social distancing guideline but also provide you a chance to explore the state of Michigan?
The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) has released its 2020 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map and Circle tour. This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide motorists around the lake.
The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online, and website visitors may also download a PDF of this year’s Lighthouse Map, or request that a free copy be mailed to them here: www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/
White River Lighthouse is located near Whitehall. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Vacationers have been looping the lake for generations, but the official “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” route was not established until the 1980s when the Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up with West Michigan Tourist Association to create the route and its official guidebook. Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.
While a loosely-organized “circle route” around Lake Superior was promoted by local tourist organizations as early as the 1960s, the first official (and signed) Great Lakes Circle Tour was the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The only single-nation Circle Tour (Lake Michigan being the only Great Lake completely within the US), the Lake Michigan Circle Tour also has the most mileage of any Circle Tour in the state.
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the West Michigan Tourist Association helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality and the first publication was released in 1988 as a 52-page guide book. The guide book was transformed into a map in 2007, and the Circle Tour driving route can now be found online.
Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour publications are also available in bulk quantities; please contact Travel@WMTA.org for more information.
Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other state and some 30 of those are rumored to be haunted by the spirits of former keepers, mariners, and others with ties to these historic beacons.
Inside the pages of “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses,” long-time writer and promoter of all things Michigan, Dianna Stampfler, shares stories of those who dedicated their lives—and afterlives—to protecting the Great Lakes shoreline. The 144-page book, part of The History Press “Haunted America” series, is now available for purchase online at MiHauntedLighthouses.com for $19.99 (plus shipping/handling and tax). All copies purchased from the author are autographed and/or personalized.
“I have been researching, writing and presenting programs about Michigan’s lighthouses and their keepers for more than 20 years,” says Stampfler, who launched her company Promote Michigan in 2004 after serving for seven years as the marketing and media director with the West Michigan Tourist Association.
“I am honored that The History Press contacted me asking if I was interested in writing a book for them. I know many of these stories intimately, but I’ve been digging in even more to find photos, historical records, newspaper clippings and other details that shed light on the history of these beacons. I have even uncovered some facts that contradict what I previously believed about some of the keepers, which is exciting to me and hopefully to my readers.”
Throughout the year, Stampfler will present several public programs at libraries around the state where she will share these spirited stories – including the premiere date on Friday, March 22 at the Historical Society of Michigan’s Local History Conference in Sterling Heights. For the schedule of upcoming events, or to book a program, visit the Promote MichiganSpeaker’s Bureau online.
Stampfler has been professionally writing and broadcasting since high school. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in Community Journalism and Communications with an emphasis in radio broadcasting from Western Michigan University. She is a member of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, Great Lakes Maritime Museum, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, Historical Society of Michigan, Michigan Maritime Museum, National Museum of the Great Lakes and West Michigan Tourist Association. Stampfler was born and raised in Plainwell but currently lives in Walloon Lake, where she welcomes visits from her two adult children, her family, and friends.
I’ve been fascinated Michigan lighthouses since 1997, when I started working at the West Michigan Tourist Association (1997-2004). Did you know Michigan has more lighthouses than any state? And, that a fair number of those are rumored to be haunted? Although I’ve never experienced any of these ghostly encounters myself, I’m happy to share the stories that have been passed along to me by others. If you’d like to learn more about “Michigan’s Ghostly Beacons,” I invite you to attend one of my upcoming presentations on the topic. The schedule can be found here.
What is it about lighthouses that seem to attract spirits – most often than naught, the ghosts of former keepers? Maybe it’s a never-ending passion for what was more of a lifestyle than a job. These keepers often lost their lives during their service, protecting the sailors on the inland seas from the dangerous and rocky shores of the Great Lakes. Many served twenty, thirty, even forty years and beyond, raising their families along these freshwater coastlines, because it was the only life they knew.
Here in Michigan, we’re proud to claim more lighthouses than any other state – with 117. The first light was built here in the 1820s; the latest in 2006. Nearly two dozen of these lights are rumored to be haunted – in most cases, by former keepers or their families. Their spirits live on, dedication unfaltering – even after the lights, and their lives, have been extinguished.
White River Light Station, Whitehall (Lake Michigan)
William Robinson
When William Robinson and his wife, Sarah, first came to the Whitehall area in the 1860s, there was no lighthouse at the end of the White River to guide the many boats coming and going due to the area’s rich lumbering industry.
Robinson took it upon himself to walk the riverbank nightly and hang a lantern on a pole, marking the entrance to the river for those vessels coming in after dark. He also began the drawn-out process of commissioning the Lighthouse Service to have an actual lighthouse built at the site.
After several years, Robinson’s attempts were rewarded and in 1875, the White River Light Station was first lit. The ships captains, who had been coming in and out of Whitehall for those years under Robinson’s safe guidance, petitioned the service to have him appointed the first keeper. It was a position he held for 44 years, until 1919 when age forced him into retirement. The day before he vacated the light, Robinson passed away in his sleep.
Rumor has it that neither he, nor his beloved wife – who had died many years prior – have ever really left White River Light Station.
The current resident keeper, Karen McDonnell, has reported multiple ghostly occurrences in her 20+ years of service. Content that it is the Robinsons, she simply shares the stories with visitors to the museum. Captain Robinson is frequently heard walking around upstairs in the former bedrooms and lantern room.
It’s Sarah’s spirit that is a bit more interesting. Karen says one day, she’d been upstairs dusting the museum display case when the phone rang. She set her dusting supplies down and went down to answer the phone. When she returned a short time later, she was startled to find her dusting supplies had moved and the display case was void of dust. Knowing of Sarah’s reputation as a meticulous housekeeper, Karen was amused. Over the years, Karen reports that attempts to recreate that incident have only succeeded on that original display case in an upstairs room which once was the nursery. A place Karen believes Sarah holds dear to her heart.
Seul Choix Point Lighthouse, Gulliver (Lake Michigan)
Captain Joseph Willy Townshend
Captain Joseph Willy Townshend was an avid cigar smoker, and it is widely believed that his death in 1910 was the result of lung cancer. The fact that his body was embalmed in the basement of the keeper’s home and that his body lay in state for an extended period of time awaiting family from far away to pay their last respects, probably didn’t do much to help ease his mind as he left this world. So much so, that he opted to stay and keep watch on his majestic beacon.
The Gulliver History Society, which maintains this lighthouse, has kept detailed records of each ghostly occurrence at the lighthouse. Whether it be sight, sound, smell or just an eerie feeling, each is recorded in a log book which has more than 300 entries thus far. Faces in mirrors, the pungent odor of cigar smoke, rocking chairs moving on their own, pictures with hazy figures, images in windows – these are all common at Seul Choix (Shish-Shwa).
One of the most commonly told stories begins when the alarm at the lighthouse goes off in the middle of the night, sending an emergency call to both local law enforcement and the head of the historical society. The officers arrived first, and access the situation by walking around the lighthouse checking for any foul play.
One officer reportedly heard the sound of a chair moving across the floor and a man’s voice coming from the kitchen. When this account is shared with the museum administrator, it is met with a chuckle and a brief history of the resident ghost. Inside the house, no one is found – however, one of the kitchen chairs is pulled away from the table. The lighthouse is locked up and all parties depart.
A few weeks later, the scene repeats itself. The same two officers, the same museum staffer. Again, no one is found inside. The lighthouse is locked up tight and everyone heads out.
As the squad car makes its way down the long, dark, narrow roadway, it is approached by an oncoming car. Curious as to why anyone would be headed to the lighthouse at such a late hour, the police turn on their lights and exit their car to investigate. The oncoming vehicle is full of drunken teenagers, who are subsequently believed to be responsible for a series of break-ins and vandalizing acts in the area (one on the night of the original tripping of the alarm).
Turns out Captain Townshend was watching out for his lighthouse, making sure authorities were there to prevent any damage from occurring.
Saginaw River Range Light, Saginaw (Lake Huron)
When Peter Brawn was appointed the eighth lighthouse keeper at Saginaw River Range light in March, 1866, little did he know that his tenure would be short-lived. The next year, Peter suffered an unrecorded injury or disease and became incapacitated as a result.
His wife, Julia, took over the duties on an unofficial basis. In March 1873, Peter finally succumbed to his illness and passed way. Ultimately, Julia was finally appointed the official keeper after serving seven years in an interim position.
In 1875, Julie remarried – a man named George Way, who in addition to the title of her husband was appointed head keeper, with Julia demoted to serving as assistant. By 1882, the assistant position was abolished all together and Julia was left with no official title or duty. The following year, George himself passed away. However, before Julia was able to resume her duties as head keeper, she disappeared from lighthouse service – never to serve again.
While there is no proof that Julia actually had anything to do with the deaths of her two husbands, it is quite a coincidence that any time she lost her position as head lighthouse keeper the husband lost his life. Rumors of ghostly occurrences at this light are attributed to the two former keepers who died there, whether of natural causes or at the hands of their wife, Julia Brawn Way.
For more about Michigan’s lighthouses – haunted or otherwise – visit the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association at www.gllka.com.
Beaver Head Island Light
Ghostly Beacons
St. Joseph Keeper’s Residence
South Haven Keeper’s Residence
White River Light Station*
South Manitou Island*
Grand Traverse Lighthouse*
Beaver Head Island Light*
Squaw Island Light
St. Helena Island Light*
Waugoshance Shoal Light
Seul Choix Point Light*
Sand Pointe Lighthouse*
Eagle Harbor Light
Rock of Ages
Big Bay Point Lighthouse B&B
Crisp Pointe Lighthouse
Point Iroquois*
Old Presque Isle*
New Presque Isle*
Thunder Bay Island Light
Sturgeon Bay Light
Tawas Point Light
Saginaw River Range Light
Point aux Barques
*Open for tours
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
