Welcome to Haunted Road, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Minky.

Welcome to Haunted Road, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Minky.

Listener, discretion is advised.

Listener, discretion is advised.

A few years back, I was sitting in what may have been the most beautiful hotel I had ever laid eyes on. To be honest, I wasn't a guest, but I walked in like I was one, trying not to catch anyone's attention. I sidled up to the first bar I saw, and sat and ordered a glass of wine so I could fully absorb my surroundings. The hotel was positively lush with color, and clearly there was a dress code, because all the women were in dresses and the men in jackets. Thankfully, i'd gotten the memo beforehand, but I'd also gotten the memo that this hotel was haunted. Built in the late eighteen hundreds, ghost stories have been told about it for decades. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued. Point blank, asked the bartender, is this hotel haunted? She looked at me, quite literally, like she had seen a ghost. She looked back and forth as if to see if anyone was within earshot, and she leaned in close to me and whispered I'm not supposed to talk about it, but yes, I won't even walk back to the employee housing alone again. She looked around and quickly said, that's all I can say. So of course I had to know more. Why don't we learn together? Come with me Haunted roadies as we journey to the Grand Hotel on mckinaw Island. I'm Amy Bruney, and this is Haunted Road. Mckinaw Island is a small isle in Michigan's Lake Huron. It spans just under four square miles. You can reach it a few ways via a fifteen minute ferry ride or by charter plane, but there are no bridges or roads that would let you drive or walk there. The only other option is to wait until the lake freeze is solid enough that you can cross it by snowmobile. Sounds terrifying. If you venture out to Mackinaw, you'll find largely untouched wilderness, as over eighty percent of the land is a state park. While you can shop for homemade fudge or other gifts, for the most part, businesses and homes are hard to come by. Only about five hundred people live on the island full time, but on top of one grassy treelined one hundred foot tall bluff, an expansive, five story hotel stands. It's a grand white building that combines Queen Anne and colonial revival elements. This building, called the Grand Hotel, is one of the last remaining wood frame hotels in the United States, and it's no surprise that it's still standing. It's made of white pine from Michigan. According to the hotel's February fourteenth, nineteen eighty nine National Register of Historic Places form, this kind of pine is known as the wood eternal because it's so sturdy. A six hundred and sixty foot long porch runs the hotel's exterior, dotted with numerous two story tall white columns. They're capped with a green roof. A cupola rises from the center of the building, and it holds an American flag. The outside is deceiving. The classic white exterior houses a colorful and boldly patterned interior. Red armchairs rest on a green checkered carpet that features alternating ruby circles and lime green squares. The dining room can hold eight hundred people, meaning mckinaw's entire population could eat there and still have open seats. And in keeping with the hotel's tendency toward bright colors, it has bold green and white striped chairs. The ceiling is a slightly tamer shade of mint green, and the three hundred and ninety seven guest rooms feature pink, blue and green wallpaper in floral prints or stripes, and equally garish bedding. The bold hues are everywhere because one former owner banned the use of beige during a renovation, so you can't escape bright shades and patterns in the thirteen restaurants and bars, or the pool, the golf course, tennis courts, or meditation gardens. A reporter once tried to put the hotel's unique design elements into words in her article with the Wall Street Journals. She wrote, imagine if the Mad Hatter had trained as an interior designer. That's what the Grand Hotel looks like today. But if you were to travel back in time to the eighteenth century, this area would have had a very different appearance. According to the island's official blog, the indigenous Anishinovic people saw Mackinaw as a sacred refuge, and it was also where they buried their dead. The name Mackinaw comes from a word their people used. It translates into English as place of the great Turtle. In the sixteen hundreds, the first Europeans set foot on Mackinaw Island, and afterward it developed but slowly. The British military built a fort there in seventeen eighty. Then it spent some time as a fur trading out post, but by the post Civil War era the island was a tourist destination. Its pristine wilderness was a big draw for those who wanted to escape the bustle of city living. Its northern climate was also appealing to people fleeing the summer heat. In an effort to preserve Mckinaw's natural beauty and avoid congestion, the island banned all cars in eighteen ninety eight. The band still stands today, so if you're thinking of visiting, be prepared to walk, bike, or hire a horse drawn taxi. However, before the band passed, another major development came about with the influx of tourists. It was only natural for the Central Railroad, the Indiana Railroad, and the Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company to find ways to keep drawing travelers to Mackinaw. After all, those visitors also brought business to their companies, so they cooperated to finance a hotel on the island. Construction crews broke ground in the spring of eighteen eighty seven. Reportedly, over the course of the three month long construction period, the workers kept uncovering grave after grave, those of both humans and animals. Sophie Boudreau wrote on Only in Your State website that the teams found too many bones for the crews to keep track of. The workers were so overwhelmed that at one point they stopped trying to keep track of all the graves they'd uncovered. Instead, they ignored the tombs, choosing to literally build the hotel on top of them. Now I have not been able to verify that claim. Some people believe that the story about the burial plot under the hotel is little more than an urban legend, but it is worth mentioning that the indigenous people did in fact bury their dead on the island for centuries, and it's not uncommon for construction projects on mckinaw to uncover ancient graves even to this day. Whether the hotel was literally built on the bones of the deceased or not, it quickly gained a reputation as a premier vacation destination. Originally it was called Planck's Grand Hotel, but with time the structure came to be known simply as the Grand Hotel. Guests came when they were looking for a quiet place to relax, a place where they could sit on the porch, enjoying a cool breeze off the straits of Mackinaw and maybe take in a lecture. Mark Twain spoke there in the late eighteen hundreds, as did one of Thomas Edison's employees. He was there to show off Edison's latest invention, the phonograph. Over the years, the Grand Hotel has boasted many rich and famous guests, including multiple US presidents and Madonna. It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark since nineteen eighty nine, which was two years after its hundredth birthday. But in the midst of all these celebrations and milestones, darkness lurked. See A woman named Lilian Salter was working as a chambermaid at the Grand Hotel in July of eighteen ninety three. She'd only been at the job for a few weeks and was living in the employee housing on site. On the night of the thirteenth, she decided to attend a dance elsewhere on the island. There she met a man, a soldier named Will Badgeley. He offered to walk her home, and Lilian accepted his chivalry, perhaps thinking he'd keep her safe. Sadly, there was no one to keep her safe from Will, who sexually assaulted her on the way to the hotel. Lilian put up a vicious fight, leaving Will with visible injuries on his face, but it wasn't enough to stop the attack. She survived the rape, but was too distraught and ashamed to tell anyone what had happened to her. Afterward, she spent a few days trying to live her life like normal, but by July seventeenth, her trauma was becoming too great to bear. Sadly, she took her own life. We only know about the sexual assault and the toll it took on her mental health because Lilian left behind two suicide notes. One was addressed to her aunt and the other was an open letter. In both of the messages, she explained what had happened to her and named her attacker. She also asked to be buried with the photo of her fiance which she'd been holding in her hands at the time of her death. On the strength of the testimony in her note, the police arrested and charged William. He denied having anything to do with Lilian, but his guilt was clear from the scratches and bruises on his face. The public was so outraged that several people threatened William's life. It was impossible for him to stand trial on Mackinaw Island, so the case was transferred to the mainland. There, he was found guilty and sentenced to eight years of hard labor. As for Lilian, it's said that her spirit still walks the grounds of the Grand Hotel. According to witnesses, she strolls up and down the beach outside, a reminder of the violence that stains the hotel's history. She's just one of many ghosts that are said to haunt this area. The hotel is only open for about half of the year, from May to late October, but during those months guests often hear disembodied footsteps and voices. Doors are known to open and close on their own, and the dining room and the hallways outside the guest rooms are both good locations to stab a picture if you're looking to catch some sort of an anomaly on film. A spectral man in a top hat is often spotted in the bar near the piano. Eyewitnesses have seen him smoking a cigar, and occasionally guests can smell the tobacco smoke even when he isn't visible. In the hallways and guest rooms, a Victorian era woman dressed all in white is seen pacing about, and occasionally she tries to climb into bed with unsuspecting employees who live in the staff quarters. There have also been reports of a pair of ghostly soldiers on the grounds. As unnerving as all of that is, the most frightening accounts feature a spirit that's said to dwell in the Grand Hotels theater. It's also according to rumor evil. This figure looks like a dark figure or cloud, and sometimes it has two red eyes. Those who have seen the entity insist that it has no arms, legs, or face. However, it is vaguely human in size and silhouette. According to Sophie Boudreaux, on one occasion, a group of maintenance workers had to do a project in the theater. They were part of the way through their task when one of them sensed something eerie. He glanced up from what he was doing to see the shadowy entity standing right beside him, glaring with those glowing red eyes. Before the worker could run away or scream, the shadow figure rushed forward. He hit the man so hard that he was knocked unconscious. It said that he needed to stay in a hospital for two full days before he recovered, and afterward he refused to ever set foot inside ever again. That said, many of the spirits there are friendly, or at the very least they're not violent. One such entity is a little girl who's been dubbed Rebecca. According to rumors, she was once a guest at the hotel until she tragically fell through a window and died.

A few years back, I was sitting in what may have been the most beautiful hotel I had ever laid eyes on. To be honest, I wasn't a guest, but I walked in like I was one, trying not to catch anyone's attention. I sidled up to the first bar I saw, and sat and ordered a glass of wine so I could fully absorb my surroundings. The hotel was positively lush with color, and clearly there was a dress code, because all the women were in dresses and the men in jackets. Thankfully, i'd gotten the memo beforehand, but I'd also gotten the memo that this hotel was haunted. Built in the late eighteen hundreds, ghost stories have been told about it for decades. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued. Point blank, asked the bartender, is this hotel haunted? She looked at me, quite literally, like she had seen a ghost. She looked back and forth as if to see if anyone was within earshot, and she leaned in close to me and whispered I'm not supposed to talk about it, but yes, I won't even walk back to the employee housing alone again. She looked around and quickly said, that's all I can say. So of course I had to know more. Why don't we learn together? Come with me Haunted roadies as we journey to the Grand Hotel on mckinaw Island. I'm Amy Bruney, and this is Haunted Road. Mckinaw Island is a small isle in Michigan's Lake Huron. It spans just under four square miles. You can reach it a few ways via a fifteen minute ferry ride or by charter plane, but there are no bridges or roads that would let you drive or walk there. The only other option is to wait until the lake freeze is solid enough that you can cross it by snowmobile. Sounds terrifying. If you venture out to Mackinaw, you'll find largely untouched wilderness, as over eighty percent of the land is a state park. While you can shop for homemade fudge or other gifts, for the most part, businesses and homes are hard to come by. Only about five hundred people live on the island full time, but on top of one grassy treelined one hundred foot tall bluff, an expansive, five story hotel stands. It's a grand white building that combines Queen Anne and colonial revival elements. This building, called the Grand Hotel, is one of the last remaining wood frame hotels in the United States, and it's no surprise that it's still standing. It's made of white pine from Michigan. According to the hotel's February fourteenth, nineteen eighty nine National Register of Historic Places form, this kind of pine is known as the wood eternal because it's so sturdy. A six hundred and sixty foot long porch runs the hotel's exterior, dotted with numerous two story tall white columns. They're capped with a green roof. A cupola rises from the center of the building, and it holds an American flag. The outside is deceiving. The classic white exterior houses a colorful and boldly patterned interior. Red armchairs rest on a green checkered carpet that features alternating ruby circles and lime green squares. The dining room can hold eight hundred people, meaning mckinaw's entire population could eat there and still have open seats. And in keeping with the hotel's tendency toward bright colors, it has bold green and white striped chairs. The ceiling is a slightly tamer shade of mint green, and the three hundred and ninety seven guest rooms feature pink, blue and green wallpaper in floral prints or stripes, and equally garish bedding. The bold hues are everywhere because one former owner banned the use of beige during a renovation, so you can't escape bright shades and patterns in the thirteen restaurants and bars, or the pool, the golf course, tennis courts, or meditation gardens. A reporter once tried to put the hotel's unique design elements into words in her article with the Wall Street Journals. She wrote, imagine if the Mad Hatter had trained as an interior designer. That's what the Grand Hotel looks like today. But if you were to travel back in time to the eighteenth century, this area would have had a very different appearance. According to the island's official blog, the indigenous Anishinovic people saw Mackinaw as a sacred refuge, and it was also where they buried their dead. The name Mackinaw comes from a word their people used. It translates into English as place of the great Turtle. In the sixteen hundreds, the first Europeans set foot on Mackinaw Island, and afterward it developed but slowly. The British military built a fort there in seventeen eighty. Then it spent some time as a fur trading out post, but by the post Civil War era the island was a tourist destination. Its pristine wilderness was a big draw for those who wanted to escape the bustle of city living. Its northern climate was also appealing to people fleeing the summer heat. In an effort to preserve Mckinaw's natural beauty and avoid congestion, the island banned all cars in eighteen ninety eight. The band still stands today, so if you're thinking of visiting, be prepared to walk, bike, or hire a horse drawn taxi. However, before the band passed, another major development came about with the influx of tourists. It was only natural for the Central Railroad, the Indiana Railroad, and the Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company to find ways to keep drawing travelers to Mackinaw. After all, those visitors also brought business to their companies, so they cooperated to finance a hotel on the island. Construction crews broke ground in the spring of eighteen eighty seven. Reportedly, over the course of the three month long construction period, the workers kept uncovering grave after grave, those of both humans and animals. Sophie Boudreau wrote on Only in Your State website that the teams found too many bones for the crews to keep track of. The workers were so overwhelmed that at one point they stopped trying to keep track of all the graves they'd uncovered. Instead, they ignored the tombs, choosing to literally build the hotel on top of them. Now I have not been able to verify that claim. Some people believe that the story about the burial plot under the hotel is little more than an urban legend, but it is worth mentioning that the indigenous people did in fact bury their dead on the island for centuries, and it's not uncommon for construction projects on mckinaw to uncover ancient graves even to this day. Whether the hotel was literally built on the bones of the deceased or not, it quickly gained a reputation as a premier vacation destination. Originally it was called Planck's Grand Hotel, but with time the structure came to be known simply as the Grand Hotel. Guests came when they were looking for a quiet place to relax, a place where they could sit on the porch, enjoying a cool breeze off the straits of Mackinaw and maybe take in a lecture. Mark Twain spoke there in the late eighteen hundreds, as did one of Thomas Edison's employees. He was there to show off Edison's latest invention, the phonograph. Over the years, the Grand Hotel has boasted many rich and famous guests, including multiple US presidents and Madonna. It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark since nineteen eighty nine, which was two years after its hundredth birthday. But in the midst of all these celebrations and milestones, darkness lurked. See A woman named Lilian Salter was working as a chambermaid at the Grand Hotel in July of eighteen ninety three. She'd only been at the job for a few weeks and was living in the employee housing on site. On the night of the thirteenth, she decided to attend a dance elsewhere on the island. There she met a man, a soldier named Will Badgeley. He offered to walk her home, and Lilian accepted his chivalry, perhaps thinking he'd keep her safe. Sadly, there was no one to keep her safe from Will, who sexually assaulted her on the way to the hotel. Lilian put up a vicious fight, leaving Will with visible injuries on his face, but it wasn't enough to stop the attack. She survived the rape, but was too distraught and ashamed to tell anyone what had happened to her. Afterward, she spent a few days trying to live her life like normal, but by July seventeenth, her trauma was becoming too great to bear. Sadly, she took her own life. We only know about the sexual assault and the toll it took on her mental health because Lilian left behind two suicide notes. One was addressed to her aunt and the other was an open letter. In both of the messages, she explained what had happened to her and named her attacker. She also asked to be buried with the photo of her fiance which she'd been holding in her hands at the time of her death. On the strength of the testimony in her note, the police arrested and charged William. He denied having anything to do with Lilian, but his guilt was clear from the scratches and bruises on his face. The public was so outraged that several people threatened William's life. It was impossible for him to stand trial on Mackinaw Island, so the case was transferred to the mainland. There, he was found guilty and sentenced to eight years of hard labor. As for Lilian, it's said that her spirit still walks the grounds of the Grand Hotel. According to witnesses, she strolls up and down the beach outside, a reminder of the violence that stains the hotel's history. She's just one of many ghosts that are said to haunt this area. The hotel is only open for about half of the year, from May to late October, but during those months guests often hear disembodied footsteps and voices. Doors are known to open and close on their own, and the dining room and the hallways outside the guest rooms are both good locations to stab a picture if you're looking to catch some sort of an anomaly on film. A spectral man in a top hat is often spotted in the bar near the piano. Eyewitnesses have seen him smoking a cigar, and occasionally guests can smell the tobacco smoke even when he isn't visible. In the hallways and guest rooms, a Victorian era woman dressed all in white is seen pacing about, and occasionally she tries to climb into bed with unsuspecting employees who live in the staff quarters. There have also been reports of a pair of ghostly soldiers on the grounds. As unnerving as all of that is, the most frightening accounts feature a spirit that's said to dwell in the Grand Hotels theater. It's also according to rumor evil. This figure looks like a dark figure or cloud, and sometimes it has two red eyes. Those who have seen the entity insist that it has no arms, legs, or face. However, it is vaguely human in size and silhouette. According to Sophie Boudreaux, on one occasion, a group of maintenance workers had to do a project in the theater. They were part of the way through their task when one of them sensed something eerie. He glanced up from what he was doing to see the shadowy entity standing right beside him, glaring with those glowing red eyes. Before the worker could run away or scream, the shadow figure rushed forward. He hit the man so hard that he was knocked unconscious. It said that he needed to stay in a hospital for two full days before he recovered, and afterward he refused to ever set foot inside ever again. That said, many of the spirits there are friendly, or at the very least they're not violent. One such entity is a little girl who's been dubbed Rebecca. According to rumors, she was once a guest at the hotel until she tragically fell through a window and died.

From the fall.

From the fall.

These days, her ghost is known to pace the hallways every night between two am and four am. Another woman is often spotted on the porch, dressed head totie and black and walking a large white dog. Rumor goes that she's also a former guest, a woman who checked in one day in eighteen ninety one. She was clearly wealthy based on the footmen and maid she brought with her, but that's all anyone knew about her for the duration of her stay, she stayed in her room with the door closed. She refused to leave or to interact with the other guests, with a few notable exceptions. Her story was recorded in Haunts of Mackinaw, ghost Stories, Legends and Tragic Tales of Mckinaw Island by Todd Clemens. He wrote that the woman in Black only ventured from her room three times a day. Every day, she walked her white Russian bloodhound at eight a m. Noon and seven pm. And finally, at the end of her visit, she checked out and never returned. Supposedly, on that day, a large blackbird also sat on a perch just outside her window, like some kind of omen. Now I need to acknowledge that I wasn't able to verify many of those details. It's in possible to say if a reclusive woman in black did check into the Grand Hotel that year. But if there is any truth to the story, it fits with what we know about the spirit. If anyone tries to point her out or draw attention to her in any way, she'll disappear in an instant, as though she's just as shy in death as she was in life. This woman isn't the only spirit whose history is shrouded in mystery and unverified conjecture. But the hotel's history is still worth investigating even if we never uncover the full truth. That's why I'm talking to the aforementioned Todd Clements. He's an expert on all things spooky on Mackinaw Island and this is his second time on the show that is coming up after the break. Okay, everyone, I am now joined by my friend Todd Clements. And Todd actually heads up Haunts of Mackinaw on Macinaw Island, and he is an expert in all things Macanaw, not just historically but ghostly as well, so I figured he was the perfect person to talk to the Grand Hotel or talk about the Grand Hotel too. So welcome to the program again, Todd.

These days, her ghost is known to pace the hallways every night between two am and four am. Another woman is often spotted on the porch, dressed head totie and black and walking a large white dog. Rumor goes that she's also a former guest, a woman who checked in one day in eighteen ninety one. She was clearly wealthy based on the footmen and maid she brought with her, but that's all anyone knew about her for the duration of her stay, she stayed in her room with the door closed. She refused to leave or to interact with the other guests, with a few notable exceptions. Her story was recorded in Haunts of Mackinaw, ghost Stories, Legends and Tragic Tales of Mckinaw Island by Todd Clemens. He wrote that the woman in Black only ventured from her room three times a day. Every day, she walked her white Russian bloodhound at eight a m. Noon and seven pm. And finally, at the end of her visit, she checked out and never returned. Supposedly, on that day, a large blackbird also sat on a perch just outside her window, like some kind of omen. Now I need to acknowledge that I wasn't able to verify many of those details. It's in possible to say if a reclusive woman in black did check into the Grand Hotel that year. But if there is any truth to the story, it fits with what we know about the spirit. If anyone tries to point her out or draw attention to her in any way, she'll disappear in an instant, as though she's just as shy in death as she was in life. This woman isn't the only spirit whose history is shrouded in mystery and unverified conjecture. But the hotel's history is still worth investigating even if we never uncover the full truth. That's why I'm talking to the aforementioned Todd Clements. He's an expert on all things spooky on Mackinaw Island and this is his second time on the show that is coming up after the break. Okay, everyone, I am now joined by my friend Todd Clements. And Todd actually heads up Haunts of Mackinaw on Macinaw Island, and he is an expert in all things Macanaw, not just historically but ghostly as well, so I figured he was the perfect person to talk to the Grand Hotel or talk about the Grand Hotel too. So welcome to the program again, Todd.

Thank you again for having me. Glad to be back.

Thank you again for having me. Glad to be back.

Yeah, it was I think it was a few years ago. I had to have been twenty twenty one. I think maybe twenty two. You were my first like live yeah, my first live Haunted road episode.

Yeah, it was I think it was a few years ago. I had to have been twenty twenty one. I think maybe twenty two. You were my first like live yeah, my first live Haunted road episode.

We did it at Michigan per.

We did it at Michigan per.

Con and that one we talked about the island as a whole as opposed to kind of singling out specific locations and I really so I featured the Grand Hotel in my cookbook.

Con and that one we talked about the island as a whole as opposed to kind of singling out specific locations and I really so I featured the Grand Hotel in my cookbook.

We featured their recipe for.

We featured their recipe for.

Their like they're known for their pecan balls their dessert there, so we featured that recipe and I really got to dig into the history and the hauntings there and I was like, this is a whole episode of Haunted Roads. So thank you for that. I think really the first time I realized, well, you can just look at that hotel and you're like, there's got to be ghosts there. But I remember Adam and I went there for a drink years ago while we were there for a Strained Escapes and we asked one of the seasonal employees. We were like, you know, is this place haunted? And you know, she basically was like, I don't like to talk about it, but you don't know what we deal with in employee housing, like that area in particular was very spooky. So how do you think the Grand handles their hauntings in general?

Their like they're known for their pecan balls their dessert there, so we featured that recipe and I really got to dig into the history and the hauntings there and I was like, this is a whole episode of Haunted Roads. So thank you for that. I think really the first time I realized, well, you can just look at that hotel and you're like, there's got to be ghosts there. But I remember Adam and I went there for a drink years ago while we were there for a Strained Escapes and we asked one of the seasonal employees. We were like, you know, is this place haunted? And you know, she basically was like, I don't like to talk about it, but you don't know what we deal with in employee housing, like that area in particular was very spooky. So how do you think the Grand handles their hauntings in general?

Well, generally they don't want to talk about it. It's a policy at the hotel. Things are changing, but their general policy was we're not haunted. Plus, speaking with someone who is from Jamaica, a lot of the islanders, or a lot of the workers on the island from Jamaica are very s perstitious. But anything that has to do with ghosts see occult very voodoo minded. They don't. They're always worried about it. And between those two things is probably why she's I'm not talking about this.

Well, generally they don't want to talk about it. It's a policy at the hotel. Things are changing, but their general policy was we're not haunted. Plus, speaking with someone who is from Jamaica, a lot of the islanders, or a lot of the workers on the island from Jamaica are very s perstitious. But anything that has to do with ghosts see occult very voodoo minded. They don't. They're always worried about it. And between those two things is probably why she's I'm not talking about this.

Yeah, she was seasonal and she's It's funny. I've seen her now a few times since, Like she always works in that that great little bar that's outside of like the main dining room area. So over the summer for the first time ever, like, I've always dreamed of staying at the Grand Hotel, and so this year, kind of knowing that was gonna be the last year of Michigan per con I I think I booked, Like in the fall, I booked two nights at the Grand Hotel for my daughter and I just to experience it because I wasn't sure i'd be back in that area. It turns out I am going back, but I was really excited to actually stay there, and I did some investigating in my room and I live streamed some of it actually with the Paranormal Circle folks who are in the Panormal Circle, and it was really interesting. We did get some I'm like gradyvps. She and I investigated later at night and we got a lot of interaction with some of our equipment. Who do you think is haunting that hotel?

Yeah, she was seasonal and she's It's funny. I've seen her now a few times since, Like she always works in that that great little bar that's outside of like the main dining room area. So over the summer for the first time ever, like, I've always dreamed of staying at the Grand Hotel, and so this year, kind of knowing that was gonna be the last year of Michigan per con I I think I booked, Like in the fall, I booked two nights at the Grand Hotel for my daughter and I just to experience it because I wasn't sure i'd be back in that area. It turns out I am going back, but I was really excited to actually stay there, and I did some investigating in my room and I live streamed some of it actually with the Paranormal Circle folks who are in the Panormal Circle, and it was really interesting. We did get some I'm like gradyvps. She and I investigated later at night and we got a lot of interaction with some of our equipment. Who do you think is haunting that hotel?

Overall?

Overall?

It's not one, pretty sure that we know, there's several. We also know there's some residual haunts at the hotel. We don't know exactly which when it happened, but there's one of those. But I would say the most common that I hear of would be strange things in rooms, obviously, But there is someone we called and we don't know their actual name, the bear man whoa We have a girl named Rebecca, and there's a security guard or a maintenance worker that people have instances with. And then there's the woman in black. Those are the ones that we know about. There's possibly more than that. And then there's a residual party that just keeps on going on into eternity.

It's not one, pretty sure that we know, there's several. We also know there's some residual haunts at the hotel. We don't know exactly which when it happened, but there's one of those. But I would say the most common that I hear of would be strange things in rooms, obviously, But there is someone we called and we don't know their actual name, the bear man whoa We have a girl named Rebecca, and there's a security guard or a maintenance worker that people have instances with. And then there's the woman in black. Those are the ones that we know about. There's possibly more than that. And then there's a residual party that just keeps on going on into eternity.

That is very Shining esque. Like that sounds very much like the show.

That is very Shining esque. Like that sounds very much like the show.

Oh yeah, it's very much. Yeah, that's what I thought when I first heard it. I was like, they pull on my leg and then I've heard the story of the party. It's it's all sound. You don't see anything. You just hear it. You can almost feel it through the floorboards. But it happens in the middle of the night. If you want me, I can share it. I'll share the story of the right.

Oh yeah, it's very much. Yeah, that's what I thought when I first heard it. I was like, they pull on my leg and then I've heard the story of the party. It's it's all sound. You don't see anything. You just hear it. You can almost feel it through the floorboards. But it happens in the middle of the night. If you want me, I can share it. I'll share the story of the right.

Yeah, please, I want to hear about that.

Yeah, please, I want to hear about that.

So if you're staying in the rooms that are above the main dining room, right above the main dining room, and sometime in the middle of the night, most people say it wakes them up, and it's if they're with someone else, they boat. They all hear it. Everybody in the room will hear it. And you'll hear like big band music, snare, drums and horns and all these noises, and you hear this chatter of people talking. You hear glasses and plates clinking together, and just a party. It's a loud band, people talking, drinking, having party. This is like three four o'clock in the morning or something like that in the dining room right below their room. And some of them have gone down obviously throw their slippers on and or call down to the front desk, what's going on. Why is there so much noise coming from the dining room. It's empty. The ones who have gone down there to see what's going on. Say, the velvet rope is up, the room is completely and it is a big dining room.

So if you're staying in the rooms that are above the main dining room, right above the main dining room, and sometime in the middle of the night, most people say it wakes them up, and it's if they're with someone else, they boat. They all hear it. Everybody in the room will hear it. And you'll hear like big band music, snare, drums and horns and all these noises, and you hear this chatter of people talking. You hear glasses and plates clinking together, and just a party. It's a loud band, people talking, drinking, having party. This is like three four o'clock in the morning or something like that in the dining room right below their room. And some of them have gone down obviously throw their slippers on and or call down to the front desk, what's going on. Why is there so much noise coming from the dining room. It's empty. The ones who have gone down there to see what's going on. Say, the velvet rope is up, the room is completely and it is a big dining room.

You've been there, It's huge. Yeah, it's massive.

You've been there, It's huge. Yeah, it's massive.

It's huge. The lights are out, you can't see anything. It's at least two hundred yards two hundred yards long at least. It's enormous, and it's completely black. There's nothing going on. And then they'll go back up to the room. They can still hear it, and then all of a sudden, it just fades and disappears. So they hear this party going on. And I've heard this story from so many guests that I'm just like, I don't know how to explain other than that it's a residual haunt of something that got trapped in time.

It's huge. The lights are out, you can't see anything. It's at least two hundred yards two hundred yards long at least. It's enormous, and it's completely black. There's nothing going on. And then they'll go back up to the room. They can still hear it, and then all of a sudden, it just fades and disappears. So they hear this party going on. And I've heard this story from so many guests that I'm just like, I don't know how to explain other than that it's a residual haunt of something that got trapped in time.

I'm gonna I'm gonna look for it because so I had so much fun last year, and my daughter loved it so much. They've redone their pool just unrelated to anything we're talking about right now, but it is one of the best hotel pools I've ever been to. It's so beautiful, and so she it has a water side. She dreams of that pool, and so she already asked me, because we're going back. We have a conference uh in Sue Saint Marie this summer? Was it Great Lakes Ghosts. What's it called that we're doing?

I'm gonna I'm gonna look for it because so I had so much fun last year, and my daughter loved it so much. They've redone their pool just unrelated to anything we're talking about right now, but it is one of the best hotel pools I've ever been to. It's so beautiful, and so she it has a water side. She dreams of that pool, and so she already asked me, because we're going back. We have a conference uh in Sue Saint Marie this summer? Was it Great Lakes Ghosts. What's it called that we're doing?

I know you're.

I know you're.

I'm doing it too. I know. Oh it's something presented by a Michigan paricon.

I'm doing it too. I know. Oh it's something presented by a Michigan paricon.

Yeah, it's presented con something. I will look it up at some point before. But it's like the Great Lakes, Oh, Great Lakes Ghostly Weekend. So anyways, it's in August for anyone who wants to join us. We're going to be in Sue Saint Marie and we're investigating the Valley camp, which we've done an episode on and things. So it's gonna be so much fun and it's amazing and it's very close to Macana, so you can visit.

Yeah, it's presented con something. I will look it up at some point before. But it's like the Great Lakes, Oh, Great Lakes Ghostly Weekend. So anyways, it's in August for anyone who wants to join us. We're going to be in Sue Saint Marie and we're investigating the Valley camp, which we've done an episode on and things. So it's gonna be so much fun and it's amazing and it's very close to Macana, so you can visit.

That being said, let me come back to this.

That being said, let me come back to this.

I booked us again for this summer, so Charlotte and I can go again. And I am going to investigate this. I need to find out of this, like ghostly party happens. I'm going to try to request a room above the dining room.

I booked us again for this summer, so Charlotte and I can go again. And I am going to investigate this. I need to find out of this, like ghostly party happens. I'm going to try to request a room above the dining room.

Sometimes it's just luck of the draw you get those rooms.

Sometimes it's just luck of the draw you get those rooms.

Yeah, So I'm going to see what I can do. But like I am intent on investigating it.

Yeah, So I'm going to see what I can do. But like I am intent on investigating it.

I have to kind of throw back.

I have to kind of throw back.

So the first time I went to Macana Island, it was January. Do not recommend of twenty eleven.

So the first time I went to Macana Island, it was January. Do not recommend of twenty eleven.

Yeah, I remember that. It was twenty seven degrees below zero one night.

Yeah, I remember that. It was twenty seven degrees below zero one night.

Oh my god, it was so cold, and like I just remember, I actually ended up having the best time it was. You know, you were there for a lot of it. Steve and Dave and Adam and I. We stayed on the island the whole time for like two weeks, and it got to this point where like every night we would we would go to the one of two restaurants that were still open. We knew all the locals by the end of it. Every night we'd sit in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at. We would drink wine and play Liverpool Rummy until like two am.

Oh my god, it was so cold, and like I just remember, I actually ended up having the best time it was. You know, you were there for a lot of it. Steve and Dave and Adam and I. We stayed on the island the whole time for like two weeks, and it got to this point where like every night we would we would go to the one of two restaurants that were still open. We knew all the locals by the end of it. Every night we'd sit in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at. We would drink wine and play Liverpool Rummy until like two am.

So it ended up being a very good memory. But it was very cool. But that was the first time I saw the Grand Hotel because you I was, I feel like, it.

So it ended up being a very good memory. But it was very cool. But that was the first time I saw the Grand Hotel because you I was, I feel like, it.

Was like one in the morning and I was liked, take me to.

Was like one in the morning and I was liked, take me to.

The Grand Hotel. So you took me.

The Grand Hotel. So you took me.

Yeah, they were at the bar and then I had I had a snowmobile and you like I got to see the Grand Hotel and I was like, well, crap, might as well got me. You got a snowmobile. It's not that bad if you're on a snowmobile.

Yeah, they were at the bar and then I had I had a snowmobile and you like I got to see the Grand Hotel and I was like, well, crap, might as well got me. You got a snowmobile. It's not that bad if you're on a snowmobile.

No, it would have.

No, it would have.

Been in a night Mirre, Oh it would have been. And we did it. It was probably not the smartest thing, but people knew where we were going, so that was good but true. It was a full moon and I remember we just took the snowmobile up all the way to the front of that hotel and I could just feel there was something like magical about that place or just it just.

Been in a night Mirre, Oh it would have been. And we did it. It was probably not the smartest thing, but people knew where we were going, so that was good but true. It was a full moon and I remember we just took the snowmobile up all the way to the front of that hotel and I could just feel there was something like magical about that place or just it just.

It feels like it's staring at you.

It feels like it's staring at you.

It did. It felt like everybody says.

It did. It felt like everybody says.

It feels like the hotel stares at you.

It feels like the hotel stares at you.

That was it.

That was it.

It definitely I got this vibe like it was like the whole hotel was like we are not expecting guests right now. You know, this kind of energy came off of it. It seems it felt like people were looking at us out the windows. I remember feeling like we're going to get in trouble.

It definitely I got this vibe like it was like the whole hotel was like we are not expecting guests right now. You know, this kind of energy came off of it. It seems it felt like people were looking at us out the windows. I remember feeling like we're going to get in trouble.

Uh. It just really put off that vibe.

Uh. It just really put off that vibe.

So want I always wonder, like, what do you think is going on in there in the middle of winter when it's all shut down quiet.

So want I always wonder, like, what do you think is going on in there in the middle of winter when it's all shut down quiet.

There's some people there, but not many, and they're not there all the time.

There's some people there, but not many, and they're not there all the time.

Yeah, have they had any reports that come out of there during that time period, because I feel like there would be.

Yeah, have they had any reports that come out of there during that time period, because I feel like there would be.

I've talked to a few people who've worked like winter maintenance or security on the ground and they said they, yes, there's no question. You always feel like there's something around you. You hear noises that you shouldn't hear. You think you see somebody duck around a corner and you know you saw somebody, but you go run to see who it is. There's nobody there. There's nobody in the hallway. There's no way they could get into anything where they could just disappear like that. And they're just like, yeah, it's got things. But I mean, someone will say, you know, I don't believe in all that, but there's that one time, and I'm just like, well, then you believe in it because you have that one time. But some of the most common things they say is they hear footsteps. The key ring that's a common one, is a ring of keys, and then they also just see things that they'll think they saw something at the end of a hallway, and the hallways there are very very long. It's very much like the movie The Shining, but it's not the same hotel. It's just the hallways go on forever, and they think they see somebody standing at the end of the hallway, and then they duck into another hallway and they run down there to see who's in the hotel. There's nobody there. So there's some activity definitely year round going on in.

I've talked to a few people who've worked like winter maintenance or security on the ground and they said they, yes, there's no question. You always feel like there's something around you. You hear noises that you shouldn't hear. You think you see somebody duck around a corner and you know you saw somebody, but you go run to see who it is. There's nobody there. There's nobody in the hallway. There's no way they could get into anything where they could just disappear like that. And they're just like, yeah, it's got things. But I mean, someone will say, you know, I don't believe in all that, but there's that one time, and I'm just like, well, then you believe in it because you have that one time. But some of the most common things they say is they hear footsteps. The key ring that's a common one, is a ring of keys, and then they also just see things that they'll think they saw something at the end of a hallway, and the hallways there are very very long. It's very much like the movie The Shining, but it's not the same hotel. It's just the hallways go on forever, and they think they see somebody standing at the end of the hallway, and then they duck into another hallway and they run down there to see who's in the hotel. There's nobody there. So there's some activity definitely year round going on in.

The hotel, I would feel, I mean, and it does have that kind of shining by people always think, well, any hotel like that, people think that's where The Shining was filmed, and I always have to be like, The Shining was filmed in a sound stage. It was not filmed in an actual hotel. It was not filmed at the Stage.

The hotel, I would feel, I mean, and it does have that kind of shining by people always think, well, any hotel like that, people think that's where The Shining was filmed, and I always have to be like, The Shining was filmed in a sound stage. It was not filmed in an actual hotel. It was not filmed at the Stage.

Hotel in Washington, Oregon. Yeah, and which is still there.

Hotel in Washington, Oregon. Yeah, and which is still there.

It is still there. I think it's called the Overlook, but I might be or Timberline.

It is still there. I think it's called the Overlook, but I might be or Timberline.

I can't remember, but I think it's Timberline.

I can't remember, but I think it's Timberline.

Timberline Overlook is.

Timberline Overlook is.

Yeah, the Shining, which is the Stanley. Yeah, but but it wasn't the Stanley Exceptely mini series was. So we're just clearing this all up here of folks.

Yeah, the Shining, which is the Stanley. Yeah, but but it wasn't the Stanley Exceptely mini series was. So we're just clearing this all up here of folks.

Yeah, making sure right now, it wasn't. It wasn't Grand Hotel, and it wasn't Mission Point Resort on mac An Island, which I've heard a million times. I'm like, they don't even look the same.

Yeah, making sure right now, it wasn't. It wasn't Grand Hotel, and it wasn't Mission Point Resort on mac An Island, which I've heard a million times. I'm like, they don't even look the same.

What do you even know?

What do you even know?

They say them out Washington too, and I have to correct people. My favorite is when people argue with me on it and I'm like, I am sorry, but if anyone knows, it's me, so okay. But that being said, so I met with the hotel this last summer when I was there, and they told me that they are doing a lot of remodeling this season for this summer.

They say them out Washington too, and I have to correct people. My favorite is when people argue with me on it and I'm like, I am sorry, but if anyone knows, it's me, so okay. But that being said, so I met with the hotel this last summer when I was there, and they told me that they are doing a lot of remodeling this season for this summer.

Yeah, they have been for the past two three years. They have new owners.

Yeah, they have been for the past two three years. They have new owners.

Well, it sounds like they're gonna redecorate between now and opening, and they're gonna because, like right now it is, it has this very iconic decor inside that I believe happened in like the seventies. It's bright green, stated Yeah, it's bright green, it's bright red.

Well, it sounds like they're gonna redecorate between now and opening, and they're gonna because, like right now it is, it has this very iconic decor inside that I believe happened in like the seventies. It's bright green, stated Yeah, it's bright green, it's bright red.

It's very like flots of floral. I love it.

It's very like flots of floral. I love it.

I think it is so it makes for really just striking photos and whatnot.

I think it is so it makes for really just striking photos and whatnot.

But it sounds like they're.

But it sounds like they're.

Going to try to keep some of that like kind of, like I said, iconic decor style, but they're going to change it up or maybe even like modernize it a little bit.

Going to try to keep some of that like kind of, like I said, iconic decor style, but they're going to change it up or maybe even like modernize it a little bit.

What I've heard is that the main areas, like common the traffic areas where the guests move in and out and about, they're going to kind of spruce that up. I heard they're keeping some of the suites they're not touching, but some of the rooms are going to be converted to a little more modern. Someone are still going to stay with that old world look to them, so they're just to think they're just gonna kind of pepper it in with new and old.

What I've heard is that the main areas, like common the traffic areas where the guests move in and out and about, they're going to kind of spruce that up. I heard they're keeping some of the suites they're not touching, but some of the rooms are going to be converted to a little more modern. Someone are still going to stay with that old world look to them, so they're just to think they're just gonna kind of pepper it in with new and old.

Right.

Right.

I'm just wondering what do you think that's going to do to the haunting there? Do you think that's going to affect things when guests arrive this summer? Do you think it's going to be more more active than normal?

I'm just wondering what do you think that's going to do to the haunting there? Do you think that's going to affect things when guests arrive this summer? Do you think it's going to be more more active than normal?

I yes and no. Yes that whenever something changes, activity always tends to go up. Not so sure because it's not their home. I don't think anybody would call it. I always find that if it's a house that's hein remodeled, you get more activity than if it's like a general public location, just because it's not like, you're changing my home. What are you doing where in the general public location, they're more like, oh, well that's different, but this isn't my home. It's hard to I guess if that explains it. I do expect activity to go. Also the fact that now people are starting to go there and look around more for everything. Maybe something wants to say, hey, here, I've been trying to get in touch with you guys for over one hundred years, but you're finally listening.

I yes and no. Yes that whenever something changes, activity always tends to go up. Not so sure because it's not their home. I don't think anybody would call it. I always find that if it's a house that's hein remodeled, you get more activity than if it's like a general public location, just because it's not like, you're changing my home. What are you doing where in the general public location, they're more like, oh, well that's different, but this isn't my home. It's hard to I guess if that explains it. I do expect activity to go. Also the fact that now people are starting to go there and look around more for everything. Maybe something wants to say, hey, here, I've been trying to get in touch with you guys for over one hundred years, but you're finally listening.

It's interesting there because even when it's sold out, like when we stayed, it was sold out, and so during the day it's very busy because there are a lot of people that are on the island that are like, you know, if they're staying at other hotels or they're coming to the island for the day and they want to visit the hotel and you have to pay ten dollars and you can come in and walk around and whatever. I always made it my goal to not pay the ten dollars though, But there's a trick.

It's interesting there because even when it's sold out, like when we stayed, it was sold out, and so during the day it's very busy because there are a lot of people that are on the island that are like, you know, if they're staying at other hotels or they're coming to the island for the day and they want to visit the hotel and you have to pay ten dollars and you can come in and walk around and whatever. I always made it my goal to not pay the ten dollars though, But there's a trick.

There's a trick.

There's a trick.

But five or six pm, Yeah, you don't have to pay, but you do have to wear a tie and a jacket or a dress.

But five or six pm, Yeah, you don't have to pay, but you do have to wear a tie and a jacket or a dress.

To get Yeah, there is a dress code. They're very strict.

To get Yeah, there is a dress code. They're very strict.

Around unless you go up to the coop La Bar, which is the one that's at the top, you can wear whatever you want. And I'll be honest, on my way home from work downtown up the hill, that's my pit stop with some dreads LUs we go up there dressed in regular clothes, just on our way home because we love.

Around unless you go up to the coop La Bar, which is the one that's at the top, you can wear whatever you want. And I'll be honest, on my way home from work downtown up the hill, that's my pit stop with some dreads LUs we go up there dressed in regular clothes, just on our way home because we love.

The coople Of bar. The view up there is amazing.

The coople Of bar. The view up there is amazing.

So but what I oh, I'm getting out is that during so during the day it's busy because everyone's in there, but then at night, even with the sold out hotel, it quiets down incredibly because everyone is off the island by a certain point and everyone's.

So but what I oh, I'm getting out is that during so during the day it's busy because everyone's in there, but then at night, even with the sold out hotel, it quiets down incredibly because everyone is off the island by a certain point and everyone's.

Back at their hotels.

Back at their hotels.

And so especially once dinner is done, because I think dinner goes into like no, it's very formal, everything like you can't like. Unfortunately, my child, she's a big tomboy. She was so mad she had to wear a dress.

And so especially once dinner is done, because I think dinner goes into like no, it's very formal, everything like you can't like. Unfortunately, my child, she's a big tomboy. She was so mad she had to wear a dress.

So I'm sure she just had a great time.

So I'm sure she just had a great time.

She loved the pool. She did not like the dress code.

She loved the pool. She did not like the dress code.

What I'm getting at is that it's very easy at the end of everything, you know, after ten o'clock to really walk around and absorb the hotel and get into you know, you can walk into some common areas or public spaces where I feel like it would be really easy to sneak in some investigating. So have you heard of anyone do that of doing that?

What I'm getting at is that it's very easy at the end of everything, you know, after ten o'clock to really walk around and absorb the hotel and get into you know, you can walk into some common areas or public spaces where I feel like it would be really easy to sneak in some investigating. So have you heard of anyone do that of doing that?

Yes, I can't name names, but yes, it's always off the books. It's always you have a room at the hotel, or you might have just stopped there with some equipment that happened to be in a bag and nobody around. So let's ask a few questions see if anything happens. They do lock off some of the better areas. Some of them are some of the areas that I think there's going to be more activity because it really hasn't been investigated very much because it's been hands off. There's a few rooms that, obviously I think there might be something going on. It's hit or miss if some of the rooms in the building are unlocked or not if you beek in there at night. There's the terrace room, the theater, the dining room, the private rooms. I mean, there's a lot of little nooks and crannies a place people have reported things and there is security there that walks around twenty four hours a day. Seven days a week, not three hundred and sixty five days a year. But in the winter they're they're checking doors and doing everything. I think they do four checks a day.

Yes, I can't name names, but yes, it's always off the books. It's always you have a room at the hotel, or you might have just stopped there with some equipment that happened to be in a bag and nobody around. So let's ask a few questions see if anything happens. They do lock off some of the better areas. Some of them are some of the areas that I think there's going to be more activity because it really hasn't been investigated very much because it's been hands off. There's a few rooms that, obviously I think there might be something going on. It's hit or miss if some of the rooms in the building are unlocked or not if you beek in there at night. There's the terrace room, the theater, the dining room, the private rooms. I mean, there's a lot of little nooks and crannies a place people have reported things and there is security there that walks around twenty four hours a day. Seven days a week, not three hundred and sixty five days a year. But in the winter they're they're checking doors and doing everything. I think they do four checks a day.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Yeah, that makes sense.

I mean so talking with you know, kind of touring the hotel and stuff this summer, I was talking to some of the employees. They had a lot to say about the theater ghost wise.

I mean so talking with you know, kind of touring the hotel and stuff this summer, I was talking to some of the employees. They had a lot to say about the theater ghost wise.

And then there's also a room.

And then there's also a room.

I feel like it's when you go into like that kind of main lobby area and you know how you walk up these those little steps and there's like a sitting area up there, those big doors, and behind that there's another events space or like dining.

I feel like it's when you go into like that kind of main lobby area and you know how you walk up these those little steps and there's like a sitting area up there, those big doors, and behind that there's another events space or like dining.

They don't I think it's changed names, but we call it the Terrasts Room. I think still the Terrors.

They don't I think it's changed names, but we call it the Terrasts Room. I think still the Terrors.

Oh good, So that she was very much like that room. That is where we get so many reports of things happening. What happens in there paranormally speaking, like what reports come out of that room?

Oh good, So that she was very much like that room. That is where we get so many reports of things happening. What happens in there paranormally speaking, like what reports come out of that room?

Have you heard of anything?

Have you heard of anything?

There's reports? But yeah, I'm a person who like either I have to hear it a hundred times from one hundred people who don't know each other, or I have to see it myself.

There's reports? But yeah, I'm a person who like either I have to hear it a hundred times from one hundred people who don't know each other, or I have to see it myself.

No, that makes sense.

No, that makes sense.

There's reports of figures just moving around in the room in the corners. There was a report once of someone who walked in to do like cleaning, and there was a man dressed in a suit but not of today, like an old timy suit, sitting in the corner at a table, feed up on the table and a hat next to his feet. And as soon as she like she saw him, and then she was like what and then it was gone. So you don't know if they're been working too hard or they actually saw sitting in the room. Serious, but terrace room, I don't. I hear rumors, yeah, but then again, I've never had a chance to actually investigate. That's one of the rooms that is either under lock and key or security or it's busy. Yeah.

There's reports of figures just moving around in the room in the corners. There was a report once of someone who walked in to do like cleaning, and there was a man dressed in a suit but not of today, like an old timy suit, sitting in the corner at a table, feed up on the table and a hat next to his feet. And as soon as she like she saw him, and then she was like what and then it was gone. So you don't know if they're been working too hard or they actually saw sitting in the room. Serious, but terrace room, I don't. I hear rumors, yeah, but then again, I've never had a chance to actually investigate. That's one of the rooms that is either under lock and key or security or it's busy. Yeah.

I thought it was interesting that they volunteered that information to me, And I was like, hmmm, how many like the hauntings in the hotel, how many of those do you think are maybe caused by things that happened before the hotel was even built, Because there was clearly a lot of violence on the island before the Grand even existed.

I thought it was interesting that they volunteered that information to me, And I was like, hmmm, how many like the hauntings in the hotel, how many of those do you think are maybe caused by things that happened before the hotel was even built, Because there was clearly a lot of violence on the island before the Grand even existed.

So the Grand was built if they started construction eighteen eighty six, it was done in eighteen eighty seven. One of the things I don't know if you'd mentioned, but when they went to build the foundations for this hotel, they picked the Great Spot. Obviously you can see it everywhere and it has a great view. But when they went to put the foundations in coming across human remains, and then more and more and more. It was Native American and they found tons and tons of these these sets of human remains that nobody knows what happened two of those remains. Most likely back then the world was a different place. People have to remember. History isn't always kind. They probably threw them in the lake, that's what most or they put them in a landfill. Nobody knows where it happened to them. But that's just back then, that was just kind of what it was. It was glorified garbage to them at the time. We don't do it that way anymore. Obviously on the island. Things some times have changed. But back then that's how they did it, because you would come across bones everywhere on the island, But there was a concentration in that one spot where Grand Hotel sits. Some say they just stopped moving them and they just built built through them, and there was still more there when they were building it. So Grant Hotel in most of mac And Island is a cemetery, so most people don't think of that, but it was this magn Island was like secret land to many of the tribes. It was their garden of Eden. It was where man began. It was where geechee Manitou, which is their great one of the great gods, or the great God for most of the tribes, that's where he said it's time for man, and he created man.

So the Grand was built if they started construction eighteen eighty six, it was done in eighteen eighty seven. One of the things I don't know if you'd mentioned, but when they went to build the foundations for this hotel, they picked the Great Spot. Obviously you can see it everywhere and it has a great view. But when they went to put the foundations in coming across human remains, and then more and more and more. It was Native American and they found tons and tons of these these sets of human remains that nobody knows what happened two of those remains. Most likely back then the world was a different place. People have to remember. History isn't always kind. They probably threw them in the lake, that's what most or they put them in a landfill. Nobody knows where it happened to them. But that's just back then, that was just kind of what it was. It was glorified garbage to them at the time. We don't do it that way anymore. Obviously on the island. Things some times have changed. But back then that's how they did it, because you would come across bones everywhere on the island, But there was a concentration in that one spot where Grand Hotel sits. Some say they just stopped moving them and they just built built through them, and there was still more there when they were building it. So Grant Hotel in most of mac And Island is a cemetery, so most people don't think of that, but it was this magn Island was like secret land to many of the tribes. It was their garden of Eden. It was where man began. It was where geechee Manitou, which is their great one of the great gods, or the great God for most of the tribes, that's where he said it's time for man, and he created man.

And I can see why they would think that, like it is just this, it is this otherworldly place.

And I can see why they would think that, like it is just this, it is this otherworldly place.

Uh.

Uh.

And there's part of me that feels as though the reason why hauntings are so prevalent there and and at the Grand as well, is this because it's kind of purposely frozen in time. You know, there's no cars, the houses, you know, they don't really allow building. The houses are all older. It literally is like stepping back in a time machine. And it makes me wonder if just like that's comforting to some of those spirits. And you know, I've talked a lot about hotels and how I don't necessarily think everybody just haunts their houses. But I do think they come back to places that were important to them in life, you know, And the Grand Hotel is the site of how many you know, weddings and celebrations and family vacations and beautiful memories, and so it makes me wonder if some of these spirits are people just kind of coming back in the afterlife to like relive their memories and it hasn't changed, which is like so magical. Do you think that affects very much?

And there's part of me that feels as though the reason why hauntings are so prevalent there and and at the Grand as well, is this because it's kind of purposely frozen in time. You know, there's no cars, the houses, you know, they don't really allow building. The houses are all older. It literally is like stepping back in a time machine. And it makes me wonder if just like that's comforting to some of those spirits. And you know, I've talked a lot about hotels and how I don't necessarily think everybody just haunts their houses. But I do think they come back to places that were important to them in life, you know, And the Grand Hotel is the site of how many you know, weddings and celebrations and family vacations and beautiful memories, and so it makes me wonder if some of these spirits are people just kind of coming back in the afterlife to like relive their memories and it hasn't changed, which is like so magical. Do you think that affects very much?

Same? Yeah, I think it does. I mean, there are people who are so passionate about that island, and everybody that is like that, I want to live here, and then they see the price tag for double.

Same? Yeah, I think it does. I mean, there are people who are so passionate about that island, and everybody that is like that, I want to live here, and then they see the price tag for double.

In January and they'll change their minds for.

In January and they'll change their minds for.

A double wide trailer. Yeah, it's not a cheap place. And then as soon as January hits, they're like, get me out of here. It's freaking cold. And I gave me there's no boats because when the lake freezes, the boat stop.

A double wide trailer. Yeah, it's not a cheap place. And then as soon as January hits, they're like, get me out of here. It's freaking cold. And I gave me there's no boats because when the lake freezes, the boat stop.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I had to fly off the island. I learned that lesson. It was quite an experience.

I had to fly off the island. I learned that lesson. It was quite an experience.

Let me just y, we have better we have better planes. Now. A new company came in. I'm glad because It was.

Let me just y, we have better we have better planes. Now. A new company came in. I'm glad because It was.

The most terrifying twelve minutes of my life.

The most terrifying twelve minutes of my life.

Yes, when you see duct tape where a bolt should be, you start to go it's just see.

Yes, when you see duct tape where a bolt should be, you start to go it's just see.

But I was almost planting back on an island. I would have gone straight back to that. My ghost would have gone back to the Grand.

But I was almost planting back on an island. I would have gone straight back to that. My ghost would have gone back to the Grand.

But yeah, there's a lot of attachment to the island. I'm sure that that island that all the those are cottages, all the houses on the island, almost none of them are year round residents. There might be like four on the entire island. And like the big Ones, there's there's an area village in the middle of the woods that most tourists never see, but that area is year round people and there's usually four hundred and fifty to five hundred people who stay there winter, families, kids, stay of a schools. It's just small.

But yeah, there's a lot of attachment to the island. I'm sure that that island that all the those are cottages, all the houses on the island, almost none of them are year round residents. There might be like four on the entire island. And like the big Ones, there's there's an area village in the middle of the woods that most tourists never see, but that area is year round people and there's usually four hundred and fifty to five hundred people who stay there winter, families, kids, stay of a schools. It's just small.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I met a woman there when we were there filming, and she told me like she rarely left the island, so she stayed there all some or all winter rather. But then one winter she broke her arm, and so she said, the first time she ever was on an airplane was she had to be flown off the island to get her arm treated. So she literally just never left. She was there all She was like, I rarely ever left the island, and she said, finally I had to leave on a little puddle jumper with my broken arm.

I met a woman there when we were there filming, and she told me like she rarely left the island, so she stayed there all some or all winter rather. But then one winter she broke her arm, and so she said, the first time she ever was on an airplane was she had to be flown off the island to get her arm treated. So she literally just never left. She was there all She was like, I rarely ever left the island, and she said, finally I had to leave on a little puddle jumper with my broken arm.

The longest I've ever talked to anybody who's been on island and not left the island is eight years.

The longest I've ever talked to anybody who's been on island and not left the island is eight years.

Oh my goodness.

Oh my goodness.

I mean they didn't leave the island for eight years. And I was like, I don't think I could do that. Congratulations, I don't think I could stand. I mean, it's a beautiful place. It's not super small, but it's small. I mean, e I guess, yeah, you work, you do this, you do that. You got restaurants, you got grocery store, you got what you needed, and you can have anything else delivered. So it's possible. But I don't know. I'd go stir crazy in eight years.

I mean they didn't leave the island for eight years. And I was like, I don't think I could do that. Congratulations, I don't think I could stand. I mean, it's a beautiful place. It's not super small, but it's small. I mean, e I guess, yeah, you work, you do this, you do that. You got restaurants, you got grocery store, you got what you needed, and you can have anything else delivered. So it's possible. But I don't know. I'd go stir crazy in eight years.

So what do you say?

So what do you say?

Is probably the most frequently spotted apparition at the Grand spotted Rebecca.

Is probably the most frequently spotted apparition at the Grand spotted Rebecca.

It's a girl. I'm sure she's the one who's the most seen apparition where you can actually see her.

It's a girl. I'm sure she's the one who's the most seen apparition where you can actually see her.

Is she a little girl?

Is she a little girl?

Or yeah, she's I've heard between eight and twelve years old. So I usually have people ask us say she's around ten. We know the story of Rebecca. We're pretty sure the name is Rebecca. But what happened was in the nineteen fifties. She was on vacation with her family. She was sitting there, apparently on the fourth floor. She was leaning against a window screen in the room and the screen popped out. She didn't survive the fall, and she wanders around. She interacts with kids. Very very rarely will an adult have a story of Rebecca. And usually it's kids that will tell me the story of the mom will drag the kid up when I'm doing a book signing or something, be like, tell him what you saw at the hotel? Tell him. So they'll tell me, Yeah, it's a lot of them are in the hallway. Most of them are in hallways. They would just be like, there was this girl and she was peeking around the corner, and then she stepped out, and she's wearing an old dress. And when it's like she wanted to play hide and seek her tag and if I went after her, she would she took off and then she was gone. And then another kid was telling me about she had a ball and she tossed the ball at him and he was watching the ball, and the ball disappeared, never made it to his hands. He looks up, she's not there, and he's like, no, I'm I'm sure one hundred percent she was real. She wasn't like, she wasn't a ghost. She was a real girl. And I was like, Okay, that's a full bodied apparition if you're seeing them and you think they're real, but then they disappear, and that's a full bodied apparition ghosts. And he's just like, I just don't know what to think about that. I mean, I've talked to a lot, a lot of kids have seen her, and she's friendly, she's not mischievous. People have said they've heard footsteps of it. Sounded like a little kid running around. They've heard it in some of the rooms. I'm assuming that might be Rebecca running around, And I think she's just having fun in the hotel and playing with whoever will play with her.