Category: Legends

The legend states: A fellow in the 80’s built a fallout shelter beneath his home for his family. Paranoia growing greater, he took his family down there to live. At some point he lost it and killed his entire family with a hatchet and thus the road got its nickname: Hatchet Man Road.

The legend tells of a glowing blue figure that watches over the cemetery at night. The “blue man” is rumored to be the spirit of Reverend William M. Ferry, one of Grand Haven’s founding fathers.

Hell’s bridge is a popular urban legend around west Michigan and tells of the “demon possessed child killer”, Elias Friske. “Hell’s Bridge” is a small, not so special metal bridge found in Algoma Township, crossing the Rogue River.

Teens and thrill seekers have been driving down Strasburg Road for years hoping to have their car knocked on by the young child. In fact, the story itself has been around since the 1940’s. The legend says the little girl was killed on that road and she now haunts the road looking for the driver who killed her.

Colorful local legends are abundant in Michigan.

The Ada Witch has been a popular legend in West Michigan for decades. For years, people have claimed to have witnessed a paranormal classic: “the lady in white.” She’s been seen wandering around the area of Findley Cemetery and surrounding roads. But who is this mysterious “lady in white”?

The traditional story tells of a hospital in the area that was treating hydrocephalic children long ago. The hospital was forced to close, and the children had nowhere to go, so they were released into the wilds of Holland (scary…)

Mysterious balls of light? Phantom headlights charging down Denton Road, the cries of a ghostly baby, tiny footprints on cars and a glowing blue apparition of a woman? Does this really all happen in one place? Folks who have been “legend tripping” down Denton road going back to the 1960’s will say it has. These were all the paranormal symptoms I discovered while researching this article on one of Michigan’s “classic haunts.”

The shoe tree story is pure legend at its finest because there’s nothing haunted about some old shoes in a tree. It’s a little creepy, but doesn’t automatically generate ghosts. But try telling that to someone who claims that their car wouldn’t start when they were near a shoe tree and other bizarre occurrences that are said to happen by these roadside oddities.

Supposedly, and according to existing stories, there used to be an old house at the end of Seven Gables Road, a road that dead ends off of E. Dexter trail in Dansville, Michigan, Ingham county.

The Legend of Morrow Road, one of Michigan’s oldest legends, spans back to the late 1800’s and is primarily about a ghost that haunts the road to this day, looking for her lost child.

The Witchy Wolves is an old Chippewa legend that has been passed down for generations. According to legend, there is a spirit animal – half dog and half wolf – that protects the souls and the graves of Native American warriors. It will attack anyone that disturbs the final resting place of Chippewa warriors.