Haunted Michigan: Recent Encounters with Active Spirits

by Gerald S. Hunter

Buy a theater ticket, treat yourself to dinner at a nice restaurant, stop in for drinks at the neighborhood tavern, or visit a historical setting. These places and more are yours to visit all across Michigan. Just keep your eyes open and your ears tuned in at all times because the strangers you see and the voices you hear may prove that ghosts are found in places both ordinary and extraordinary. The Haunting Continues! Includes a glossary of paranormal terms, a full description of each haunted location, dates of investigations, and haunt meters to rate the pervasiveness of paranormal activity. Experience the ghostly regions of Michigan through these pages and, if you have the courage, explore a haunting on your own!

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal

207 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2000

About the author

Rev. Gerald S. Hunter is an ordained United Methodist minister and an avid writer. He and his wife, Tracey, live in Hillsdale County, Michigan.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid 3.49 stars, as in, I could not round up to a 4. The various hauntings were entertaining, but good literature, it was not. I try to remind myself that that's not always the point. Also, the author has a good preface about when and how to read the stories--at night, possibly alone, and not in succession--for optimal spooky results.

Note: I did read most of these as "put-my-boys-to-sleep" stories. They are 9 and 5. There were no significant nightmares.

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most notably pleasant thing about this book is hinted at in the title, for this book is indeed made up of "recent encounters with active spirits." Nowhere in this book will you find an old legend that no one living has ever experienced nor will you find any stories that consist of only second or third hand accounts. Best of all, this author never once utters the phrases "They say..." or "Could it be..." and he never ever says anything like "One could easily imagine", all phrases that I absolutely detest. In fact, all of the haunts described in this book are of a recent nature and all have been experienced by more than one person. The author even had experiences of his own with some of these ghosts and most of the haunts are still very active to this day.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fully admit that I'm a sucker for ghost stories, especially ones from my home state. In his first book, Rev. Hunter is a charming and credible guide to some creepy tales that bring me back for a reread every October. His work is a huge step above the typical chronicles of haunted houses and urban legends, and I especially appreciate that he investigated each place he describes personally. You don't have to believe in ghosts to respect a man with a passion and high standards for the work he has chosen to do. Highly recommend for a Halloween read.

[Julie Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love love books like this. Loved that he gave clues to where the hauntings were, loved the local stories. Very easy to read. But warning! Don't read after it gets dark :)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a good ghost story, purely for entertainment. I listened to the author on a stories podcast and found his tales amusing. All I can say is Michigan must be a really haunted state because he had a LOT of stories, and this is one of four books. The stories all have a certain pattern after a while-- so I didn't feel like reading more of his books. I came up with some advice for myself after reading this: 1) Don't ever buy an old house with a lot of history 2) don't stay in old hotels 3) if you have to buy an old house, don't go remodeling it right away-- or at all, and 4) never visit old taverns or bars, but since I don't frequent those it won't matter. He interviews the people with the stories and gives the story a "haunting" rating. Like I said, it is more amusing than anything at all. Whether you believe the stories is another thing-- although the people he interviews seem sane enough. The author does a great job retelling the story and using the actual interviewees words. He is a good writer who can keep the interest going. I felt like I was listening to my grandpa tell a good tale while we sit around the living room and visit. He is a Reverend and he actually grew up in a very haunted house, which is what sparked his interest in recording other people's stories. He gives great descriptions of the places he visits in Michigan. Honestly , after reading it I almost want to just tour Michigan because it sounds like it has some very beautiful parks and forests! It would actually be a great book to use to tour a new state even if you completely disregard the spooky tales! (None of the stories were actually super scary, it doesn't seem

[Ericka Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why this is under fiction on the book, but this is some good ghost stories from somebody who you would not expect. When I picked this up I didn't even realize the author was a ordained minister. And because of that I do like the book more than I would have if I didn't know because you don't ever really see ordained ministers talking about ghosts and spirits in a more positive light. But even without that fact I always do like his writing though some of the entries did kind of confused me a little bit. I do like the fact that a lot of the stories you have not really heard about on famous shows, it starts getting boring when you read the same story over and over again about the same ghost over and over again even if they're really interested in you want to know the differences the other Ghost Hunters have. So you won't really have the whole crossover of the house been investigated 15 million times already. In literally one of the stories creep me out cuz I live in it's town I'm pretty sure I've seen the house to talk about more than once.

[Jeremy Cleghorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories of the mitten state.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 This book contained a variety of ghost stories from around Michigan. It was a fun read and had a brief history of the towns included. #bookreview #bookreviewer #ghost #haunted #reading

[Alexander Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fascinating. Especially happy it was from my home state.

[Keegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I though the book was very fun and scary. Although it wasn't "heart attack" scary, It was definitely a fun read. It is a fiction book about ghost stories from around Michigan (at first I thought it was real but apparently not). I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy not super scary books but books that are fun and exciting but also in the horror genre.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty much what you would expect from a book of modern haunting stories. I love paranormal studies and investigation so it was right up my alley. I thought it was even more interesting since I'm from Michigan and familiar with some of the places mentioned.

[Sarah]

not in overdrive

[J.A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a digest of ghost stories, related in passable prose for an overall score of "meh".

[Matt Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting book found in loaned cottage on vacation . . something to these kinds of "ghost stories" i say

[Andrewmurphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is pretty kewl.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rev. Gerald S. Hunter, Recent Encounters With Active Spirits. PB-B @ 2000, 4/01. True recent ghost stories in various Michigan cities, with many currently active spirits. Okay.

[Cindy]

love the book.