Le Nain Rouge: Detroit's "red dwarf"

If you're ever in Detroit and see a goblin-like creature heading toward you, clad in fur boots and rocking red eyes and rotting teeth, you might want to head the other way (and, ladies, not just because it might be a creepy guy trying to hit on you). The creature is probably Le Nain Rouge, "the red dwarf," who, for more than three centuries, has appeared in Detroit to signify the impending occurrence of something bad.

I would think the simple fact that the dwarf
 appeared would be bad enough itself.

Stories of Le Nain Rouge encounters have been around since at least 1701, when Detroit's first white resident, Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, is said to have met the dwarf shortly after arriving from Canada. Cadillac chased away Le Nain Rouge, but couldn't escape its prediction of doom, for the explorer ended up losing his fortune not long after the encounter.

Le Nain Rouge has appeared in Detroit several other times, dancing and doing back flips (as one does) before tragic events in the city. A partial listing of the crises that drew Le Nain Rouge to Detroit includes:


*1763---the Battle of Bloody Run, in which Ottawa Chief Pontiac's men killed several British soldiers who were attempting to end a Native American siege of Fort Detroit. (In this case, looked at from Pontiac's point of view, Le Nain Rouge was basically a good luck charm.)

*1805---the Detroit fire, during which the city was, for all intents and purposes, destroyed.

*1812---the surrender of Detroit to British forces during the War of 1812.

*1967---the Detroit riot, which lasted five days, cost forty-three lives, and led to arson- and looting-related damages of 40 million to 80 million dollars.


Though most residents of a city that has its own harbinger of doom might shy away from provoking it, Detroiters do the opposite. Since 2010, the city has held the "Marche du Nain Rouge," a parade and festival during which participants burn an effigy of the dwarf, thereby banishing him from Detroit for a year. Festivalgoers wear costumes so that the dwarf won't know who they are in case he somehow returns to wreak vengeance.

Taking the opposite tack, the Detroit Beer Company decided to honor Le Nain Rouge by naming a beer after it. "Detroit Dwarf" lager has become the company's house specialty. Maybe someday, if Detroiters can arrange a truce with their impish terrorizer, Le Nain Rouge will be more than happy to settle down on a bar stool, a pint of Detroit Dwarf in hand, and regale the city with tales of mischief and devilry. Until then, every year during the Marche du Nain Rouge, Detroiters will have to tell the little guy, "Sorry...you gotta go."

The true story behind the Mayo Hall haunting

If the stories are to be believed, a ghostly presence stalks Mayo Hall, a dormitory in the West Circle complex on the north side of Michigan State University. For decades, students who lived in the Tudor-style building have reported eerie goings on—strange noises, lights that turn on and off, a piano that plays by itself. Some residents have seen the apparition of a woman, while others report being watched by the piercing eyes of the dorm’s namesake, Mary Mayo, as she stares at them from a portrait on the first floor.

Portrait of Mary Mayo. Okay, I'll admit I'd be a little
freaked out if I thought that she was watching me.

Whether or not Mayo Hall is home to a ghost may be up for debate, but the fact remains that several of the rumors that led to Mayo Hall’s reputation as the most haunted building at Michigan State are simply not true. Believers insist that it’s Mayo’s ghost that haunts the building, and that she either killed herself or was murdered. Some versions of the story hold that she actually died in Mayo Hall itself. The truth is that Mary Mayo died in 1903 after an illness, and did so a full 28 years before the residence hall bearing her name was even built. That’s not to say that her ghost doesn’t haunt the building. However, it does beg the question: Why, if Mary Mayo is the hall’s ghostly resident, would she spend her afterlife scaring students in a building that, when she died, didn’t even exist?

 

Mayo Hall

 

Nothing in Mayo’s background indicates that she would become what many believe is Michigan State’s most notorious specter. Born in 1845 in Battle Creek, she married husband Perry in 1865, and raised two children, a son named Nelson and a daughter named Nellie. Mayo was a teacher, and believed that women should have access to a quality college education. As a member of the Grange, a nationwide social and advocacy group that promoted the interests of rural residents, she spoke about the need to create women’s programs in universities, including Michigan State (which at the time was called State Agricultural College). Her wish came true in 1896 when SAC created a women’s curriculum. Mayo died a few years later, in 1903, and is buried in Austin Cemetery in Calhoun County’s Convis Township.

Her earthly remains may rest in southwest Michigan, but apparently many people believe that Mayo’s spirit traveled sixty miles north to spend eternity in a Michigan State dormitory. Reports of hauntings have persisted since Mayo Hall opened as a woman’s residence hall in 1931. The rumors passed from one class to another, and became even creepier when students began talking about a “red room” on the building’s fourth floor, where unknown people were said to have conducted satanic rituals. Spirits are mysterious creatures, so the question of whether or not Mayo Hall is haunted may never be answered. However, we do know that Mary Mayo was a groundbreaking crusader for the rights of women in academia, and it’s this achievement—not the possibility that she wreaks ghostly havoc in Mayo Hall—that should be her real legacy.

"Thelma" haunts the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre

This past weekend, my husband and I took a "ghost tour" of Kalamazoo. It was sponsored by the Kalamazoo Jaycees, which runs the "Ghosts of Kalamazoo Historic Tour" as a fundraiser for Warm Kids, an organization that provides winter weather gear to children who need it. The tour schedule has wrapped for the year, but keep an eye out for the next round of tours during the 2014 Halloween season. We had a great time, and learned a lot about the history of downtown Kalamazoo as well as the ghostly inhabitants that haunt it.

One of the stories our tour guides mentioned was about "Thelma Mertz," a ghost that is said to lurk the halls of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre at 329 S. Park Street. No one really knows when Thelma began her supernatural wanderings, but reports of her ghost have been made since at least the 1950s. Thelma's true identity is a mystery, as is her real name. (She became "Thelma Mertz" in the 1970s, when members of a summer youth program at the Civic gave her the moniker. I wonder if she's any relation to Fred and Ethel.)

The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, home to Thelma the ghost

Whoever she is, Thelma seems to be a benign spirit, preferring mischief to terror. The Civic's flesh-and-blood inhabitants have reported the sound of footsteps walking across the stage when no one was on it, and have also felt a ghostly presence, as though some unseen person was in the room with them. Thelma has played the theatre's piano, then stopped when someone entered the room to check on the noise. Sometimes Thelma moves items across a room, or opens and closes dressing room doors. Her playfulness isn't restricted to backstage areas. On occasion, actors report, she has messed with their costumes while they were onstage.

For the most part, Thelma's pranks are harmless, and while some Civic Theatre regulars believe her story is more legend than reality, almost all of them embrace their unknown visitor. Like curtain calls and standing ovations, Thelma has become a part of the theatre itself.

The Michigan Dogman

Forget Bigfoot. Michigan has its own bipedal beast that stalks the woods. That creature is the Dogman.

Stories about a canine-type beast that walks on two legs have been passed around Michigan for centuries. The Odawa told tales of a creature called the wendigo, which tempted tribesmen to kill and eat their families. French settlers spoke of the loup garou, a human who could change into a wolf. ("Loup" means "wolf" in French, while "garou" means something similar to "werewolf.")

The Michigan Dogman has been described as seven feet tall (when he stands on two legs) and 400 to 700 pounds. He has brownish/grayish fur, and differs from a werewolf in that he's not a human who changes into a wolf, but rather a creature that remains half dog/half human all the time. The first known modern sighting of a Dogman occurred in Wexford County in 1887. Two lumberjacks claimed they saw a creature that had the body of a man and the head of a dog. They chased it, but the creature "screamed," frightening the lumberjacks so badly that they hightailed it out of there. Other encounters with the Dogman (or with Dogmen) have occurred sporadically since then, with run-ins reported in such communities as Paris, Manistee, Cross Village, Luther, Onaway, Chelsea, and the UP's Garden Peninsula. 

The Michigan Dogman remained a semi-obscure state legend until 1987, when Steve Cook, a disc jockey at WTCM in Traverse City, played a song called "The Legend," which was about the various encounters Michiganders have had with the Dogman. Cook, who recorded the song, intended it as an April Fools' joke, but ended up receiving several calls from listeners who claimed to have seen the creature themselves. Here's the song, which became one of WTCM's most-requested tunes:

The Dogman received more media attention in 2007 with the discovery of "The Gable Film," which purported to show a Dogman attack on camera. The video, which appeared online, has a grainy quality that makes it look like a film from the 1970s. It shows images of a family doing mundane things like driving snowmobiles and chopping wood. Everything is all fun and games until the last scene, which contains blurry footage (and, really, isn't the footage in all these types of videos blurry?) of a creature staring at the cameraman from a few hundred feet away. The creature charges on four legs at the cameraman. One of the last images is of the Dogman's teeth hovering over the lens...then the camera drops to the ground, and all is still. Watch the video and then, below the clip, I'll let you know what I thought the first time I saw it. (Caution: If you're not a fan of wiggly camerawork, you might not want to watch this.)

Ready....?

Yeah, that's a guy in a dog suit.

As it turns out, that's exactly what the creature really was. (Actually, it was a guy in a ghillie suit, which is a type of camouflage that's supposed to look like plants, but close enough.)

In 2010, the History Channel show "Monster Quest" (don't get me started on how far away from "history" the History Channel has fallen) devoted an episode to the Michigan Dogman, and looked into the authenticity of "The Gable Film." Ultimately, the show revealed that the video was a hoax created in 2002 by Mike Agrusa, who was a fan of Cook's song. Agrusa made another video, "The Gable Film Part 2," that claimed to show the police investigation that occurred after the attack in Film 1---and that included footage of the cameraman's body. (Agrusa substituted painted foam insulation for the unfortunate victim's blood and guts.)  I was going to post that video here, but the image YouTube was going to show as a placeholder is of the body in question, so in the interest of not making anyone squeamish, I've chosen not to include it. If you want to see the film, just go to YouTube and search for "Gable Film Part 2."

Here's a clip from the "Monster Quest" episode that debunked Gable Films 1 and 2:

"The Legend"---the song that some might say started it all---recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and the website michigan-dogman.com offers CD and DVD copies of the tune, as well as other Dogman-related products. Profits from these sales go to several animal rescue groups throughout the state. Whether or not the Michigan Dogman is fact or fiction, his existence helps other Michigan dogs (and cats) find safe, happy homes, which I think is a cool thing (and I bet the Dogman does, too).


For more information:

If you're interested in the Dogman stories and legends, check out Linda S. Godfrey's book, "The Michigan Dogman: Werewolves and Other Unknown Canines Across the U.S.A."


In 2012, the story of the Dogman came to the silver screen in the form of "Dogman," a movie starring Michigan native Larry Joe Campbell (best known for the TV show "According to Jim"). Reviews have not been kind, but you can see the trailer below. The movie must have done well enough, because a sequel, "Dogman 2: The Wrath of the Litter," is scheduled for release in 2014.

Wisconsin has its own version of the Dogman, called the "Beast of Bray Road." Check out more information about it on Wikipedia.

The legend of the Ada Witch

Sorry I haven't been posting regularly for the past week or so. I've been a bit under the weather, but I'm starting to feel better, so I'm back with the first in a series of articles about "creepy Michigan things"---legends, crimes, paranormal activities, etc. It's my homage to Halloween---just a week away!



As far as I'm concerned, the main reason Halloween exists
 is to make dogs dress up in costumes.

I used to live in Grand Rapids, and everyone there knows the story of the Ada Witch. (Ada is a township located a few miles east of GR.) The short version is this: During the 1800s, a young married woman was having an affair, and met up with her honey at a woods near what is now Findlay Cemetery, on 2 Mile Road. The woman's husband found out about the tryst, and caught the couple in the act. Furious, he killed his wife, then turned his attention to her lover. The two men struggled, but were evenly matched, and eventually both died from injuries they sustained during the fight.

Now, according to legend, during the full moon, the woman's ghost haunts Findlay Cemetery and areas surrounding it, including the nearby woods, Seidman Park, and Honey Creek Avenue. She's described as being either a beautiful girl dressed in white, or a disfigured woman bearing the injuries inflicted by her husband. Visitors to the cemetery also claim to have seen eerie mists and orbs, as well as heard the sounds of fighting---presumably the battle between the cuckolded husband and his wife's lover. Other creepy occurrences have been reported---the sounds of footsteps, weeping, and screams, as well as the feeling of being tapped on the shoulder.

 

Drawing of the "Ada Witch"

Nowhere in the legend does it say that the woman was, in fact, a witch, so I'm not sure how her nickname developed. Likewise, historical records don't provide any information regarding an incident in which three people died in the woods near Ada in the 19th century, so, to my mind, the story is highly suspect. Findlay Cemetery does contain a gravestone where people leave trinkets, presuming it to be the final resting place of the "Ada Witch." That gravestone belongs to Sarah McMillan, a young woman who died in 1870. However, McMillan died of typhoid, not from a midnight struggle with her husband, so she is definitely not the witchy woman of legend.

I love hearing and reading about paranormal activity, but I'm also a bit of a skeptic, so, for me, the Ada Witch is nothing more than a legend that has made visits to Findlay Cemetery a bit more exciting for those who want to believe. That said, there's no way you'd find me in Findlay Cemetery at night during a full moon. Or at night any other time of the month, for that matter. A dog wearing a Halloween costume is spooky enough for me.


For more information:

Several websites about the Ada Witch exist. Just do a Google search for "Ada Witch," and you'll find information about the legend, as well as stories and photos from people who claim to have seen her ghost.

Check out the book "Haunted Houses of Grand Rapids," by Gary Eberle, which contains a chapter on the Ada Witch. The book is twenty years old, but has a lot of interesting stories about supposed haunted places in Grand Rapids and surrounding areas. I own this book, but haven't read it in a while, so I might have to break it out for another "creepy read" before Halloween.

"Ghosts of Grand Rapids" by Nicole Bray, Robert DuShane, and Julie Rathsack is another book that contains information about the Ada Witch. It was published just this past summer, and though I don't own it, I'm looking forward to reading it.

An interview with paranormal investigator and author Amberrose Hammond

When I was a kid, I was firmly convinced that ghosts and aliens lurked behind every corner, especially when I turned out the lights at bedtime. I actually believed that if I looked out my bedroom window, I'd see one of those creepy, bug-eyed alien faces peeking back at me.

With time, my attitude has changed, so that now I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the paranormal (though I'll admit you couldn't pay me a million dollars to spend the night in a place where people have reported ghostly activity). I still like reading about "real-life" paranormal stories, though, and that's how I discovered Amberrose Hammond's books.

Amberrose Hammond

Since graduating from Grand Valley State University in 2005 with a degree in English, Hammond has written "Ghosts and Legends of Michigan's West Coast," about creepy goings-on along the Lower Peninsula's western shores, and "Wicked Ottawa County," about historic scandals and crimes in, well, Ottawa County. Her third book, another entry in the "Wicked" series, is slated for release in the spring of 2014. Hammond has also taken part in several paranormal investigations, and maintains a website, "Michigan's Otherside," that provides details about mysteries, legends, and hauntings in the Great Lakes State. Hammond was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions I emailed to her. Read on to learn more about the paranormal in Michigan from one of the state's foremost experts on all things spooky.

On your webpage, you say that you've been interested in the strange and unusual since you were a kid. Did you ever imagine, back then, that you would make your living from researching and writing about the paranormal? How did it all begin?

 
"Growing up, I always had an extreme interest in unusual and paranormal topics. I soaked up shows like 'Unsolved Mysteries' in the 80s, B-rated horror movies on Saturday nights, and could always be found with a book on ghost stories or something more esoteric in my backpack. It wasn’t until years later, in October 2000, that I was thinking about ghosts and how none of them live in Michigan; at least it seemed that way. Whenever I picked up a book on haunted locations around the U.S., it never featured too much about the great state of Michigan.

"So one night, I consulted the oracle that is Google and it delivered. I started finding all kinds of neat stories and paranormal experiences from people. There wasn’t nearly the amount of info available on the Internet today, but it was enough to get me hooked. By my searching, I was also introduced to the early paranormal investigation teams in the state, which leads to the next question on the list!"

 

You helped found The Great Lakes Paranormal Research Organization. Are you still involved with that group?

 

"In 2000, there were just a handful of paranormal investigation teams in the state. West Michigan Ghost Hunters Society at the time was hosting public investigations at the now-infamous Nunica Cemetery. [Ed. note: See the "For more information" section at the end of this interview to learn more about Nunica Cemetery.] I joined them on a few ghost hunts and was immediately hooked! I joined The Great Lakes Paranormal Research Organization in 2001 after some friends formed it, and researched and investigated under that name until 2006, when I developed the concept of 'Michigan’s Otherside' and started to use that name, as my interests within the paranormal were changing."

 

What goes on during a "typical" paranormal investigation? (Though I realize there probably isn't any such thing as "typical" when it comes to the paranormal!) What is the team's goal, what are the methods they use to investigate, etc.?

"Any paranormal investigator of course wants to stumble upon what they feel is genuine paranormal activity and document it. Ultimately, the goal of any paranormal team is to try and rule out the mundane first. If a client reported that he or she was hearing a spooky sound in the attic and the investigators actually discovered a family of raccoons living up there, they just found a mundane solution. Problem solved. No ghosts.

"But...if all possibilities are exhausted and the sound of footsteps is still heard in the attic at the same time every night...well, maybe...just maybe...there’s something paranormal going on.

"Many teams employ a variety of equipment when they investigate, the 'big three' being cameras, video recorders, and audio recorders. The gadgets and equipment can add up from there depending on how much extra cash you have. The standard paranormal investigation usually starts with a request. The client feels something 'strange' is going on in his or her home or business, and is interested in having someone come out to verify that 'they are not crazy.' A telephone or face-to-face interview will usually happen before a full-blown investigation to determine what exactly is going on and, in some cases, rule out an investigation. There are times when the interview process can expose mental illness, drug use, or other things that make people believe they have paranormal activity going on, but in fact don’t. 

"If the interview shows a need for an investigation, the date will be set and the team will show up and do a sweep of the house, checking things out, looking for those 'mundane' causes. Also, if possible, background research is done beforehand to get an idea about the history of the location.

"There can be a lot that can happen during an investigation depending on what equipment is brought in. Or sometimes a whole lot of nothing. It’s always wise to keep the owners in the same room or have someone with them at all times to make sure they are not trying to trick anyone. That has happened before, when people want their place to be 'haunted,' either to get on TV or to create a business, such as the popular 'haunted bed and breakfast.'

"After the investigators feel they have gathered enough audio, video, photos, or other data, they pack up and spend a couple of days going through it. If they find something strange, they will share it with the owners and determine if more investigations are needed.

"So here’s the question: What’s the real point of an investigation?

"One of the reasons I pulled back from doing actual home investigations is because I cannot, in good faith, tell someone their house 'is' or 'isn't' haunted, because what exactly is a haunting? We really have no proof or definitive answer yet. It’s all just theories and very often based on belief systems and religious ideas of the afterlife.

"A home is someone’s safe haven and I do not feel right telling people, 'Yep...you have an unseen squatter in your house.' That’s just freaky. Plus, it can actually mess with someone’s mental wellness, which is something not many budding paranormal investigators take into consideration.

"But on the other hand, most homeowners who experience something just want to know they are not crazy. A good paranormal team can sometimes give an owner peace of mind. They can experience the same thing to verify what the owner has been noticing. They may also be able to suggest clergy or other spiritual people to cleanse a house if that is what will provide some peace.

"Sometimes, the homeowners totally dig it when they find out they may have a 'ghost' living in the house. Like the question asked, there’s nothing 'typical' about the paranormal." 

  

What investigations stand out in your mind as being especially interesting, creepy, etc.?

"There are two that stand out. One was when I actually saw a possession, and another was when I physically saw something with my eyes for the first time.

"The possession investigation took place at a store in Norton Shores in West Michigan. It was a brand-new strip mall not more than a few years old. I wrote about this story in 'Ghosts and Legends of Michigan's West Coast,' and it was the only story that wasn’t 'historical' in nature in that book. It was just disturbing. It wasn’t anything out of 'The Exorcist' by any means, but witnessing something in which you instinctively knew something wasn’t right with the person involved, along with other factors during the investigation, made for a very unforgettable experience.

"The other investigation that stood out was at an old New England cemetery in Cape Cod. We were visiting our friend Dave, who runs ghost tours and a paranormal team in Cape Cod. He was so excited to bring us to a particular cemetery in the area at night because some of the common things they would see in this place were strange blue floating orbs.

"We set up equipment to try and capture these mysterious things, and when nothing seemed to want to happen, we packed up and just stood around talking under a huge full moon.

"All of a sudden, that’s when these tiny, glowing blue lights started floating toward the outskirts of the cemetery.

"'That’s it! Those are what I was telling you guys about!' said Dave. We all just stood there with our mouths open, watching these unexplainable lights move through the cemetery, no equipment capturing any of it, and then they were gone.

"And that’s pretty much how it works in paranormal investigation. It comes when you are least expecting it, and least-prepared."

 

How did your work writing "Ghosts and Legends of Michigan's West Coast" come about? Did you approach The History Press, or did they approach you?  

"The History Press puts out a lot of fantastic topics on Michigan and the entire United States. I recommend their books to everyone. I was approached by them in 2008 about writing a book for their "Haunted America" series, and after I gave them my ideas and sample writing, they approved. The book came out in September 2009. I had always wanted to write a book, so the opportunity was a welcome surprise and created other opportunities for me as well."

 

  

 

Did you ever get "creeped out" when you were working on the book, or while you're writing for "Michigan's Otherside"? Do you have to write with other people in the room, with the lights on, etc.?

"I will admit that ghosts do not freak me out anymore. I’ve become an open-minded skeptic over the years and look at the subject of hauntings and other paranormal topics a little differently than when I got started. TV and movies will have one believing paranormal activity is around every dark corner, but it’s not. In my opinion, it’s actually quite rare to encounter something that could be considered genuine paranormal activity.

"But speaking of night lights, there is one thing that freaks me out that has caused me to sleep with the lights on.

Aliens.

"The very idea of aliens is downright creepy to me, and most likely Hollywood interpretations (namely, the movie 'Fire in the Sky') have made the worst impact on me over the years. I shudder when I think about some of the scenes in that movie. I was at the Michigan Paranormal Convention in 2012 and the man who the movie was based on, Travis Walton, was there. Needless to say, I stayed far away from him."

 

"Wicked Ottawa County" isn't about the paranormal...how did your work with that book come about?

"As a collector of the strange and unusual, I have quite the array of odd articles and history from all over. During the research of my first book, I had stumbled upon some interesting murder stories and history. I had been admiring the 'Wicked' series that The History Press put out. It delved into really old true crime about specific areas. Great books for the local history enthusiast! So when my publisher wrote me and asked if I had any ideas in the think tank, I told them I’d like to write 'Wicked Ottawa County,' which is where I live. They thought it was a cool idea too, so that’s how that book was born. It was a nice change to start writing about something other than the paranormal. My third book will be in the 'Wicked' series as well."

 

 

 

What kind of responses do you get from people when they find out what you do for a living?

"I still have a day job, but when I tell people what I do on the side, the majority of the time they have a story to tell me---some ghostly thing that happened to them or someone they know. Some even have an old crime story related to their family to share. There are the rare occasions where people give you a look like you just told them you were best friends with the devil and ate babies as snacks, but they are few and far between, and are becoming more rare these days.

"There are so many paranormal TV shows and books out there now that the idea of the 'paranormal' has become part of this decade’s pop culture and people are just getting used to the topic."

You mention on "Michigan's Otherside" that the number of paranormal research teams in Michigan has significantly increased in the past decade or so. Why do you think that is?

"Interest in the paranormal exploded after the Syfy channel's 'Ghost Hunters' debuted on TV and was a total hit. Pre-'Ghost Hunters,' I would tell people, 'Yep...went on a ghost hunt last night. It was pretty cool…'

"They would just look at me like I was the biggest dork in the world and ask me if I talked to Casper or when I would be moving in with the Addams Family.

"Post-'Ghost Hunters,' the scenario is now more like this:

"'Yep...went on a ghost hunt last night. It was pretty cool…'

"'You did? Ohmygod! Do you ever watch 'Ghost Hunters?' Do things in the show really happen like that? I get so scared watching that show but I love it!  In this one episode...Grant and Jason…' blah, blah, blah

"And that’s about the time my eyes glaze over and cross.

"The start of those shows prompted thousands of people to get together, form groups just like on TV, and seek out paranormal investigations in their area. The paranormal was 'cool' and part of pop culture now. The majority of these copycat teams mimicked the shows, complete with matching t-shirts, decals on their cars, and a mindset that everything they ventured out to do would be exactly like they had seen on TV.

Wrong.

"Therein lies the double-edged sword in this situation.

"The shows increased awareness about the paranormal to a new height. The New Age section at Barnes & Noble used to be a few shelves, and now it’s a huge area with lots of topics to browse. The Internet is overflowing with websites and blogs on this topic. TV shows haven't slowed down, and 'Ghost Hunters' is still going strong.

"Some of these new teams inspired by TV shows actually went on to be great paranormal teams. They quickly learned it wasn’t like TV at all, but they still had a passion for the subject and continued to pursue investigations and research.

"However, there were many other teams that formed and just made the serious people shudder. They all claimed to be 'scientific,' but if asked, no one in the team could tell you about the scientific method or what the equipment they bought actually did and the theory behind it. They just bought some gadget on TV, walked into the homes of strangers who stupidly invited them in, waved their equipment around, and said things like, 'You have ghosts for sure,' or worse, 'You have a demon here.' There has been a recent trend where people have taken up as demonologists, and just about everything they encounter is...wait for it...yep, a demon.

"I’ll stop myself here because I can get on a dangerously long rant on this topic. So in a nutshell, that was one of the major reasons for the explosion."

 

Any advice for budding paranormal investigators?

"Learn all you can. I have told people through the years that to be a solid paranormal investigator, you really have to be a jack-of-all-trades and spend some time reading about photography, sound, video, physics, electrical systems, interview techniques, mental illness, religious beliefs, etc. The list really never stops.

"I have some short and sweet paranormal advice on my website at this link to check out:"

Getting started in paranormal investigation

  

I might know the answer to this question already, but what is your favorite place to visit, or your favorite thing to do, in Michigan?

"My favorite place to visit in Michigan is actually Mackinac Island. I love the history, the vibe of the place, the lack of cars, having an excuse to indulge in large quantities of fudge, and, of course, its ghosts! For years, it was a spot in Michigan we always dreamed about investigating. History and hauntings go hand-in-hand, and Mackinac is full of awesome history.

"Thankfully, our friend Todd Clements started 'Haunts of Mackinac' ghost tours on the island, and of course, landed Mackinac Island on what else? The TV show, “Ghost Hunters.”

 

#     #     #

 

For more information:

 

Link to Amberrose Hammond's personal website

 

  

The story of Nunica Cemetery:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paranormal enthusiasts consider this cemetery, located in Ottawa County east of Spring Lake on M-104 near the I-96 exit, as one of the most haunted cemeteries in Michigan. Various paranormal phenomena have been reported there, including cold spots, orbs, and apparitions. Here's more information from "Michigan's Otherside":
 

Nunica Cemetery



The true story of the Paulding Light

Since I was a kid, I wanted to check out the Paulding Light, an eerie orb that glows in a valley outside Paulding, in the western Upper Peninsula. The light is supposed to be swamp gas, or some kind of geological phenomenon, or the ghost of a railroad brakeman, or the ghost of a mail carrier, or the ghost of a Native American, or....well, you get the drift. Suffice it to say that no one could really agree on what it was, but everyone could agree that it was spooky.

However, it looks like the Paulding Light is nothing more than...drumroll please...car headlights. Check out this video recorded by students from Michigan Technological University, who investigated the phenomenon. (The first video on the website shows the light, the second video shows the students' investigation.)

Paulding Light Videos

They do a pretty good job of debunking the myths, and establishing that the lights are, in fact, car headlights shining through the night from US-45.

Kind of a no-brainer, but also kind of a bummer. I didn't really believe the Paulding Light was the ghost of some unfortunate soul, but it's always fun to let one percent of your brain believe these kinds of things.

Another website on the Paulding Light, this one less skeptical:

The Paulding Light