It was the setting for a string of mysterious disappearances 24 years ago, now new owners are looking to capitalize on the notorious legend of Camp Hatchet with a horror-themed camping event Saturday, September 12th.

You won't find "Camp Hatchet" in Google Maps. You won't even find it on an old school map of Michigan. That's because a "Camp Hatchet" has never really been open to the public, at least not under that name... or officially. Let us explain...

It was 24 years ago that 13 camp counselors began preparing the not-yet-opened Camp Hummingbird for its first youth camping weekend. When the children arrived, they found only one female counselor, drenched in blood and hysterical. She screamed of madmen, cannibalism, and bloodthirsty children before madness consumed her and she fell into a vegetative state. No traces of the other counselors were ever found, but there was one unusual item left behind -- a single hatchet stuck in a tree. Obviously, the camp was never officially opened to the public.

The long-shuttered campground, since referred to by locals as “Camp Hatchet,” bears the surname of the Hatchet family – a local urban legend about a murderous family of deformed freaks with “children of the dark” that feed on human blood. Rumors say that they have survived in those woods for decades, despite any proof outside of stories. Some will even tell you that the Hatchet family is responsible for the missing campers.

Back then everything that happened wasn’t instantly delivered to a small computer that fits conveniently in your pocket, and the mystery went largely unnoticed by the national media when local authorities downplayed the dubious nature of the disappearances. Many of the now-retired police on that case chalked the events up to animal attacks, but those who knew the long-enduring legend of the Hatchet family claim there was much, much more to the story that didn’t hit the newspapers.

Nearly a quarter-century later, the camp is set to re-open the campground with a special one-night-only horror-themed camping event. Hoping to capitalize on the most notorious parts of the urban legend, the new owners have decided re-open the camp with long standing nickname Camp Hatchet. Some locals are opposed to the idea, claiming the new owners are inviting unspeakable acts of terror by using their name, while many will tell you the old stories are nothing more than that – old stories. The new owners promise a night will be a “once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with fun and a few good scares.” Do you have what it takes to survive Camp Hatchet?

Honestly, there are a lot of creepy details that you can get at the website -- MichiganFearCamp.com -- but perhaps the most disturbing detail is that you will be driven to an undisclosed part of the camp. Those daring enough to spend the night with us (obviously, we'll be there) on September 12th can reserve their spot below.

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