The Most Haunted Place in Michigan: An Island of Ghostly Legends

Located 16 miles off the coast of Lake Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, South Manitou Island is rumored to be the most haunted spot in Michigan. While there's no concrete evidence to prove it, ghost hunters and thrill-seekers certainly believe the island holds some eerie secrets.

Michigan has lots of cool haunted places. You just need to do a little searching to find them. From the most haunted towns and restaurants to the creepiest urban legends, there are several creepy places to check out in the state. Well, according to Thrillist, we may have just found the creepiest.

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One legend claims that a ship carrying cholera-stricken passengers stopped at the island, where sailors buried them in a mass grave—some reportedly still alive. If true, that’s pretty disturbing.

There are two cemeteries on the island, one with a cedar forest where the dead are often heard. Also in the cemetery is a human skeleton of unknown origin. The skeleton was discovered on a South Manitou dune in 1933. Was he a wrecked sailor who washed ashore and then melted into the sand? Or was he vomiting and seizing from cholera in his last minutes? No one really knows.

Also, off the coast of the island is the shipwreck of the SS Francisco Morazan, where a young boy is rumored to have died after attempting to explore it on his own.

It's also said that the lighthouse built in the 1800s saw several accidents and fatalities. Keeper Aaron Sheridan, his wife, and their infant on March 15, 1878, died in a boating accident near the light. Some say the eerie voices and footsteps often heard at the lighthouse are believed to belong to the Sheridans.

The island might be creepy once you step foot on it with its deserted shoreline and empty campgrounds but looking at it from above, it doesn't look creepy at all. As a matter of fact, it looks beautiful. See for yourself in the video below.