Michiganders aboard the Titanic, Part I: The Bishops

While researching my previous post about the Knorr ("Michigan-made ship makes 'Titanic' history"), I began wondering how many Michiganders had been aboard the Titanic when it sank in the North Atlantic in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912. I "Wikipediaed" that question ("Google" is a verb now, so I can make "Wikipedia" one too, right?), and learned that several dozen of the 2,224 people on board the ship either came from, or were heading to, Michigan. One couple was in first class, a few families and individual travelers had second-class cabins, and the rest settled for third-class passage. I can't write about all of these individuals on my blog, but every so often, I'll publish the story of a Michigan-based person (or people) who was aboard the Titanic on its maiden voyage. The first post in this series is about the Bishops, a newlywed couple who were the only Michigan residents to obtain a first-class cabin aboard the ill-fated ship.

 

This is what a first-class cabin on the Titanic looked like.

Dickinson (Dick) and Helen Bishop had been married only about five months when they boarded the Titanic following a whirlwind honeymoon through Africa and Europe. The couple wasn't hurting for money. Nineteen-year-old Helen was the daughter of Jerrold Walton, owner of the Sturgis-based Royal Easy Chair Company. Twenty-five-year-old Dick had inherited a sizable estate following the death of his first wife, who came from a wealthy family in Dowagiac.

Helen and Dick Bishop

The Bishops' trip overseas was undoubtedly exciting, but an encounter the couple had during their stay in Egypt might have warned of things to come. According to Helen, a fortune-teller told the young newlywed that she would experience three disasters: a shipwreck and an earthquake, both of which she would survive, and a car accident, from which she would die. The prediction was eerie, but not enough to keep Helen off the Titanic, which she and her husband boarded in Cherbourg, France on April 10.

The couple's first few days on the boat were uneventful, and likely filled with the kind of activities--musical performances, elaborate dinners---available to first-class passengers. On the evening of April 14, Helen and Dick were in their stateroom when the Titanic struck an iceberg. Helen later said that she didn't feel anything when the impact occurred, but several minutes later, someone came to the Bishops' stateroom instructing them to make their way to the deck. Helen did, but officers sent her back, telling her that all was well. Shortly afterward, Helen and Dick were getting ready for bed when a friend knocked at their door and told them the ship was listing. The Bishops weren't sure how serious the situation was, and made a few trips between the deck and their room before they realized that the Titanic was in trouble. Leaving behind most of their possessions (including Freu Freu, a dog they had acquired in Italy), the Bishops found seats aboard the first lifeboat to leave the ship. They and their shipmates drifted in the icy water for several hours until the steamship Carpathia rescued them shortly after 4 a.m. on April 15. (The Titanic had completely sunk at about 2:20 a.m.)

One of the Titanic's lifeboats approaching the Carpathia

After their rescue, Dick and Helen testified at a Senate inquiry into the disaster, then returned to Dowagiac, hoping they could settle down and put the incident behind them. The Bishops likely thought they had used up all their bad luck for a lifetime, but sadly, this was not the case. In December 1912, Helen give birth to a baby boy, Randall, who died two days later. Afterward, the Bishops took a trip to California, where they encountered an earthquake---the second part of the fortune-teller's prophecy. The third part of the prophecy came true, at least in part, in November 1913, when Dick and Helen were involved in a car accident that, though not fatal, left Helen with severe head trauma that ultimately led to the end of the Bishops' marriage in 1916.

Helen's bad luck continued; she slipped and fell at a friend's house three months after her divorce from Dick, and died of her injuries at the age of 23. She is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Three Rivers. The Dowagiac Daily News reported on her death the same day it ran an article announcing  Dick Bishop's new marriage, to a woman from Chicago. Dick went on to serve in World War I, and eventually moved to Illinois. He died of a stroke at age 73 in February 1961.

Michigan-made ship makes "Titanic" history

As of September 1, 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard had spent about a decade of his life trying to discover where RMS Titanic---history's most famous sunken ship---had plunged to the bottom of the North Atlantic. The location of the vessel, which struck an iceberg and sank on the morning of April 15, 1912 during its maiden voyage from Southampton, U.K. to New York City, had confounded investigators for over seventy years. Ballard himself had made a previous attempt to locate the ship with no success, and was now nearing the end of another expedition that he hoped would reveal the Titanic's final resting place. Ballard had started working with a French ship, Le Suroit, in August of 1985, but that ship had been reassigned, so on that fateful September day, the scientist was aboard the Knorr, a research vessel owned by the United States Navy.

As the Knorr plied the North Atlantic's frigid waters, it dragged behind it a remote-controlled deep-sea vehicle known as "Argo," which was equipped with cameras and sonar technology. The ship traveled methodically over the ocean's surface until, suddenly, Argo's camera showed something strange---crater-like pockmarks that were likely formed by objects hitting the ocean floor. As scientists watched on screens aboard the Knorr, Argo next projected images of a boiler and, to everyone's elation, the hull of a huge ship that could only be the Titanic  Ballard and his crew had made history---and had done so on the Knorr, a ship built in Michigan.

Research Vessel (R/V) Knorr

R/V Knorr was the product of Bay City-based Defoe Shipbuilding Company, which from 1905 to 1976 created watercraft for a variety of purposes. When Harry Defoe started the business, it built boats primarily for business and pleasure use. As World War II approached, the company won a number of Navy contracts, and also built a few Great Lakes freighters. (Ed. note: The Escanaba, which I've written about in a previous post, "Grand Haven's Fallen Ship, the Escanaba," was built by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company.) Eventually, the Navy contracts stopped coming, and the company went out of business. Its former location is now a scrapyard.

The Knorr was launched in 1968 and, though owned by the Navy, eventually went to the Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), which operates vessels for research purposes. It traveled the Atlantic, assisting in various scientific explorations, until 1985, when Ballard stepped aboard to search for---and ultimately find---the Titanic.

The search team aboard the Knorr, after locating the Titanic

The Knorr's post-Titanic career has been an active one. From 1989 through 1991, the ship underwent a complete overhaul. Then, from 2005 to 2006, the Knorr was fitted with a long coring system that lets it extract sediment from deep below the ocean's surface. The ship maintains an active schedule of research projects on both sides of the Atlantic. As of this writing, the ship is assisting with research on Greenland's southwest coast. Not bad for a little ship from Bay City, Michigan.


More information:

The Knorr was named after Ernest R. Knorr, who in 1860 was the chief engineer cartographer in the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office. (Try saying that three times, fast.)


In addition to the Knorr and the Escanaba, the Defoe Shipbuilding Company created a number of notable vessels. These include:
*The Knorr's sister ship, the Melville, which was featured in the 1976 film, "King Kong"
*The USS Rich, which was sunk by mines on June 8, 1944 while assisting in the invasion of Normandy
*The USS PC-1129, which was sunk by a Japanese suicide boat in the China Sea on January 31, 1945
*The Lenore, a yacht built for retail magnate Montgomery Ward in 1931; the boat was later pulled into military use during World War II, and in 1956 became a Presidential yacht


The WHOI offers real-time information regarding the Knorr's current location. Check out this link to learn where the Knorr is currently assisting with scientific research: Where is Knorr now?


Here's a video taken at the exact moment the Titanic was discovered on September 1, 1985 (to find the link, scroll to the bottom of the page, then look on the right side): Titanic: The Moment of Discovery


Want to see what life on the Knorr is like? Check out this YouTube clip:

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



A tour of downtown Lansing

Over Labor Day weekend, my husband and I spent an evening on a historical "scavenger hunt." As part of the "History Hunt," sponsored by the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, we walked around the city's downtown area, taking pictures of various buildings and attractions. The Historical Society provided the clues, we hunted down the buildings. When all was said and done, we ended up winning one of the prizes (go team!!!), which, in our case, was a private guided tour of the state Capitol. I'll write about that excursion in a few weeks, but in the meantime, this post describes a few of the places we visited during our history walk.

(Note: The pictures in this post aren't the ones we took that day. Most of the clues asked us to capture very specific images, so in the interest of not posting a series of photos that show random archways and concrete slabs, I've hunted down photos of the buildings themselves.)

Away we go...


1. Boji Tower
120-130 W. Allegan Street

Auto bigwig Ransom E. Olds financed construction of this building, which, at 364 feet and 25 stories, is Lansing's tallest. (Fun fact: It's also the building where I work.) The structure began its life in 1931 as Olds Tower, then became Capital National Bank Tower in honor of a bank that Olds helped create. From 1954 to 2001, the building was the Michigan National Bank Tower, then went nameless for four years until the Boji Group, a development company, bought it in 2005 and named it Boji Tower. Built in the Art Deco style that was popular during the 1930s and 1940s, the tower is made of brick and limestone, and now contains primarily office space. It's also home to the Michigan Senate's hearing room.


2. First capitol building in Lansing
Historical marker at South Washington Square near Allegan Street

 

This building no longer exists, but was located on land now bordered by Washington Avenue, Capitol Avenue, Allegan Street, and Washtenaw Street. When Michigan became a state in 1837, its first capital was Detroit. However, the state constitution stated that this was a temporary location, and in 1847, Lansing---a wilderness community in the middle of nowhere---became the state capital. Construction of the new capitol building began that same year, and in 1848 the two-story wooden structure opened its doors to the state legislature, supreme court, and governor. It served as the state's primary governmental building until 1879, when the current capitol replaced it. The first capitol then became a factory, but burned down not long afterwards, in 1882.


3. Michigan Theatre
217 S. Washington Avenue

In 1921, this building opened as the Strand Theater and Arcade. It boasted one of the largest vaudeville stages in Michigan, as well as a bowling alley, billiard room, and banquet hall. Eventually, audiences lost interest in vaudeville, so the building's owners phased out live performances and began showing an increasing number of motion pictures. In 1941, the aging building underwent renovation and reopened as the Michigan Theatre. It remained a movie house until 1980, when it closed for good. Part of the building was demolished, but the rest remains in use as office and retail space.


4. Kerns Hotel
100 block of N. Grand Avenue
Historical marker located on the Grand River's east side, near Michigan Avenue

Another building no longer in existence, the Kerns Hotel (located behind the frontmost structure in this photo) burned down a few weeks before Christmas, on December 11, 1934. During its last night in existence, the 25-year-old, four-story wooden structure housed 215 guests, including several state legislators. At 5:30 a.m., the fire alarm went off, and firefighters rushed to save the hotel's occupants, many of whom escaped via ladders and nets. When the flames burned out, 32 people (including seven legislators) had died, and 44 more (including 14 firefighters) had been injured. (Two people would later die from their wounds.) According to the Lansing Fire Department, the Kerns Hotel incident is the worst fire disaster in the city's history.


5. Cooley Law School Stadium
505 E. Michigan Avenue

On April 5, 1996, Lansing's hometown minor-league baseball team, the Lugnuts, played its first-ever game, against the Rockford Cubbies, in what was then known as Oldsmobile Park. (Two days earlier, the new stadium had held its first "official" game, a matchup between the Michigan State University and University of Michigan baseball teams.) The park had replaced a row of storefronts along Michigan Avenue and, city officials hoped, would attract thousands of people to Lansing's downtown area. Their wish came true; seventeen years later, Lugnuts games remain a popular diversion for area families and sports fans. General Motors bought initial naming rights to the stadium (which is why it became "Oldsmobile Park" when it opened), but Thomas M. Cooley Law School obtained the rights in 2010, so the park is now known as Cooley Law School Stadium.

Felony Friday: The Robison family murders

The smell was overwhelming that July day in 1968 as Chauncey Bliss approached the cabin he had built years earlier near the community of Good Hart, on the Lower Peninsula's northwest coast. Bliss was a carpenter who had constructed many vacation homes along the glistening shore of Lake Michigan. Now he served as caretaker of those homes, which he had collectively named "Blisswood," and which included among their number a residence occupied by the Robisons, a rich family from the Detroit suburb of Lathrup Village.

Drawn to the Robison home by a woman who lived near the family, and who called complaining about an ungodly smell, Bliss stepped up to the log-cabin-style residence. No one had seen the Robisons for several weeks, but family members had told acquaintances that they were planning a trip out of town, so their absences hadn't alarmed anyone. The smell probably came from a dead raccoon in the crawl space, thought Bliss, steeling himself to face the odor that he knew would be more pungent inside. Bliss knocked at the front door, but got no response, so he entered the house. Immediately, he saw a woman's body sprawled in the entryway, her clothing in disarray. Behind her, Bliss caught a glimpse of several other bodies, laying on the floor in pools of congealed blood. Shocked, Bliss hurried away and called the police.

An initial investigation revealed that the cabin contained six bodies---every member of the Robison family, from 42-year-old father Richard to 7-year-old daughter Susan. Both father and daughter had been bludgeoned with a hammer, as well as shot with a pistol. The other family members---40-year-old mother Shirley, and sons Richie, 19, Gary, 16, and Randy, 12---had been shot with the same weapon as had the other Robisons, but had not been struck with the hammer. Due to the condition of the bodies, which were heavily decomposed and covered with flies, officers estimated the murders took place about a month before the Robisons were found. Authorities eventually placed the date and time of death as the late afternoon or early evening of Tuesday, June 25, 1968.

The Robison family. Top row, left to right, Gary and Richie; Middle row: Randy;
 Bottom row, left to right, Shirley, Susan, and Richard.

At first, police were at a loss. The Robisons were an upstanding family that attended church regularly and had no enemies. Richard was an advertising executive and published an arts magazine called "Impresario," while Shirley took care of the family's home. Richie, the eldest son, attended Eastern Michigan University. The younger Robisons did well in their studies, and family acquaintances said they were smart and polite children. Why, then, would someone kill the family in such a violent manner, then leave their bodies to decay for several weeks?

 

The Robison cabin during the police investigation.

As police dug into Richard Robison's business dealings, they came up with a lead. Though Robison presented himself as a prosperous executive, his companies were in trouble. He was engaging in funny business with the finances for "Impresario," and was telling colleagues and family members about various deals he had in the works, though no one knew much about them. One of the most revealing discoveries was that, while he was in Good Hart, Robison had left his business in the hands of 30-year-old Joseph Scolaro III, an employee who was embezzling money from Robison. (The amount was later revealed to be about $60,000.) Police theorized that, during a phone call between Robison and Scolaro hours before the murder, Robison revealed that he had found out about the embezzlement. At that point, according to police, a panicked Scolaro took off from Detroit, drove several hours north to Good Hart, and killed the family before Richard Robison could come forward with details about Scolaro's crime.

Circumstantial evidence supported this conclusion. Scolaro had been out of contact with friends, business associates, and family for twelve hours on the day of the murder, and police couldn't find anyone to support Scolaro's alibis as to where he was that day. Officers also discovered that shell casings found at a shooting range that Scolaro frequented matched casings police had found at the scene of the crime. In addition, Scolaro failed two polygraph tests, and delivered inconclusive results on a third. To officers, Scolaro became a prime suspect.

However, because police couldn't find the murder weapons, nor any eyewitnesses to the crime, the prosecutor in Emmet County, where the Robison's cabin was located, didn't press charges. Frustrated, state police officers worked with prosecutors in Oakland County, where the Robisons lived, to continue the investigation. In 1973, Oakland County Prosecutor L. Brooks Patterson was ready to charge Scolaro with conspiracy to commit murder. However, before officers could apprehend their suspect, Scolaro shot himself in the head, effectively ending Brooks' attempt to prosecute him. Scolaro left behind a suicide note in which he said that he did not kill the family, but many students of the case, as well as the state police and the Emmet County Sheriff's Department, still consider him the chief suspect.

That's not to say that Scolaro is the only person who has been accused of killing Richard Robison and his family. Critics of the "Scolaro as killer" theory say that Scolaro couldn't have driven to Good Hart, shot the Robison family, and driven back to the Detroit area in the amount of time for which he didn't have an alibi. Some people suspect that John Norman Collins, who was convicted in 1970 of killing a female college student in Ypsilanti (and is a suspect in the killings of several other co-eds), was somehow involved in the Robison murders. Collins attended Eastern Michigan University at the same time Richie Robison did, and is even said to have possibly roomed with Robison during orientation week.

Another proposed suspect is the caretaker, Chauncey Bliss, an eccentric whom some Good Hart locals believe committed the murders after his son, who was friends with the Robison boys, died in a motorcycle accident shortly before the Robison murders. According to this theory, Bliss felt slighted by Richard Robison in the days following the younger Bliss's death, and took his revenge by killing the family. (Police didn't regard Bliss as a suspect in the Robison murders.)

Other suspects have been suggested and discarded, and the case is officially unsolved. Forty-five years after the murders, the community of Good Hart remains a popular vacation destination for downstaters looking to get away from it all. Unfortunately, for the Robisons, their attempt to "get away from it all" ended during a violent encounter after which they would never return.


For more information:

A few books about the Robison murders have been published. They include:

"When Evil Came to Good Hart" by Mardi Link (an excellent nonfiction book about the murders; I highly recommend it)

"Dead End" by James J. Pecora (I own this book, but haven't yet read it; it's essentially a nonfiction book, but changes the names of the family members and various characters)

"The Tarnished Eye" by Judith Guest (a fictionalized version of the Robison story)

Why Michiganders drive a quarter mile out of their way to make a left turn: The story of the "Michigan Left"

It's second-nature to most Michiganders, but the first time a driver encounters the "Michigan Left," questions fill his or her head.


"Why am I turning right? I want to turn left."

"Okay, I've turned right...why am I being told to drive another quarter mile forward?"

"Okay, NOW I'm being told to turn left. But I'm still a quarter-mile away from the intersection where I started. Basically, I drove a half-mile out of my way to make a left turn."

"Who came up with this system? I hope they were fired."


On its surface, the Michigan Left seems overly complicated and unnecessary. However, traffic studies have shown that it shortens wait times and reduces accidents. The Michigan Left has proven so effective in its home state that other states, and even countries, are implementing similar systems to reduce traffic congestion and cut down on accidents at dangerous intersections.

Most drivers in Michigan know what a Michigan Left is, but for the sake of keeping us all on the same page, I'll try to describe it. The Michigan Left is basically a system in which each left turn requires that a driver either make first a right turn, then a U-turn, or vice versa. The system I've described in my imaginary driver's internal conversation above follows the first pattern: a right turn, then a U-turn. Click on the link below to see a demo from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The imagined scenario at the beginning of this post is what you'll see when you click on the "North to West" button.

"Michigan Left" simulation

The other scenario in the demo, "East to North," requires first a U-turn, then a right turn onto the road where the driver originally wished to make the left turn. In both scenarios, at least one road must be divided (i.e., have a median that separates traffic going in opposite directions) and be multi-laned (i.e., have at least two lanes of traffic going in the same direction).

It seems complex until you've driven it. I hope my explanations haven't added to the confusion. In case they have, here's a diagram from the website michiganhighways.org. (Click on the picture to get a better view.)


Michigan Lefts have been around since the 1960s, when state highway engineers created them to ease traffic congestion in metropolitan areas like Detroit. When making a "regular" left turn, a driver can sometimes block traffic behind him or her for several minutes, depending on how many cars are approaching from the opposite direction. Michigan Lefts eliminate the need for drivers to turn left at intersections, so they keep traffic moving. They also lessen average wait times---as well as reduce the number and severity of collisions that occur---at intersections.

The state installed its first Michigan Left at Eight Mile Road and Livernois Avenue in Detroit. Now, about 700 Michigan Lefts cover the state, with more likely to join them. Michigan Lefts can be a pain, but I prefer to think of them as something that, like the Mystery Spot or Da Yoopers (both of which I love, or at least appreciate), is slightly off the wall, occasionally a source of mockery, but still uniquely "Michigan."

Do you live in a cabinet county?

Take a look at the question I've just posed. You might not know the answer now, but you will after you read this post.

If you do, in fact, live in one of Michigan's ten cabinet counties, the place you call "home" received its name sometime between 1829 and 1833 as part of an attempt to "sweet talk" the federal government into siding with the Michigan territory in its border conflict with Ohio. Each of these counties takes it name from a member of then-President Andrew Jackson's cabinet (and one is named after Jackson himself...I'll let you guess which one).

The flattery didn't work, as the federal government eventually gave the disputed land--a 468-square-mile area known as the "Toledo Strip"--to Ohio. Michigan did receive a good chunk of the Upper Peninsula as a consolation prize, though, so I think our state came out ahead in the end. (Sorry, Toledo.)

Here's a huge map showing the cabinet counties:

And here's information about their namesakes:

1. Barry County -- named after William T. Barry, the U.S. Postmaster General. Barry was appointed Ambassador to Spain after his tenure on the cabinet ended, but he died while traveling there, so he never assumed his post.

 

William T. Barry

2. Berrien County -- named after John M. Berrien, the U.S. Attorney General. He was a political party "flip flopper," calling himself, at various times, a Jacksonian Democrat, a Whig, a member of the Southern Rights Party, and a member of the American Party.

John M. Berrien

3. Branch County -- named after John Branch, U.S. Secretary of the Navy. Before serving in Jackson's cabinet, Branch had been governor of North Carolina. After his cabinet service, he became territorial governor of Florida.

John Branch

4. Calhoun County -- named after Vice President John C. Calhoun. This cheerful gentleman wasn't the greatest guy in the world. After his tenure as vice president ended, he served in the United States Senate, where he led a pro-slavery faction that opposed abolitionism.

 

John C. Calhoun

5. Cass County -- this isn't one of the original cabinet counties, as it was named for Lewis Cass, who at the time was serving as Michigan's territorial governor. However, Cass later served as Secretary of War for Jackson, so his namesake county subsequently became one of the cabinet counties.

Lewis Cass

6. Eaton County -- named after John Eaton, U.S. Secretary of War. (Eaton served in this position before Cass did.) Eaton resigned in response to the "Petticoat Affair," a scandal that brewed in D.C. after critics whispered that Eaton had married his wife, Peggy, too soon after her first husband's death, and that the two of them (Eaton and Peggy) had been having an affair while her husband was still alive.

John Eaton

7. Ingham County -- named after Samuel D. Ingham, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Before turning to politics, Ingham had managed a paper mill. He served in several political posts in Pennsylvania and was elected to Congress before he became a cabinet member.

Samuel D. Ingham

8. Jackson County -- this one's the "biggie." It's named after Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, who served from 1829 to 1837. On his deathbed, Jackson said he had two regrets: that he had been unable to shoot Henry Clay (his opponent in the 1832 presidential election) or to hang John C. Calhoun.

Andrew Jackson

9. Livingston County -- named after Edward Livingston, U.S. Secretary of State. Before joining the cabinet, Livingston had been active in politics in Louisiana, where he helped draft the "Livingston Code," a criminal code that advocated the reform, rather than the punishment, of prisoners.

Edward Livingston

10. Van Buren County -- this county was named after another president, Martin Van Buren, who succeeded Jackson. However, Van Buren County received its moniker when its namesake served as Jackson's Secretary of State. (Edward Livingston succeeded Van Buren in this position.) Van Buren eventually became vice president under Jackson, then became president in 1837.

Martin Van Buren