Haunted Lakes: Great Lakes Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents

by Frederick Stonehouse

Presents a collection of legendary tales and ghost stories that focus on the Great Lakes Region.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, History, Mystery, Ghosts, Paranormal

198 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Frederick Stonehouse has authored over thirty books on maritime history, many of them focusing on the Great Lakes and contributed to several others. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and Great Lakes Lighthouse Tales are regional best sellers. Wreck Ashore, the U.S. Life-Saving Service on the Great Lakes, won a national publishing award and is the predominant work on the subject. Another book, Haunted Lakes, Great Lakes Maritime Ghost Stories, Superstitions and Sea Serpents, has opened an entirely new genre in Great Lakes study. His book, Final Voyage, is the first Great Lakes shipwreck book for children.

He has been a consultant for both the U.S. National Park Service and Parks Canada and has been an "on-air" expert for National Geographic, History Channel and Fox Family, as well as many regional media productions. Awards for contributions to Great Lakes maritime history have been received from Underwater Canada, Our World Underwater, Marquette Maritime Museum and Marquette County Historical Society. He is also the recipient of the 2006 Association For Great Lakes Maritime History Award for Historic Interpretation. The Award is presented annually in recognition of an individual making a major contribution over many years to the interpretation of Great Lakes maritime history in furtherance of the goals of the Association. In addition he was named the Marine Historical Society of Detroit’s “2007 Historian of the Year.” The award is the result of election by past MHSD Historians and recognizes persons who have actively contributed to the study of Great Lakes history. He holds a Master of Arts degree in History from Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan.

Reviews

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after I spent some time up in northern Michigan. I had become intrigued with the history surrounding the lakes and this book was suggested to me by the wonderful women running the gift shop up at Whitefish Point Light House.
From what I understand, the author (Frederick Stonehouse) typically does non-fiction. This explains all of the (verifiable) history found in the stories he presents along with the folklore. There were also lots of pictures of the actual ships, people, and lighthouses present in the stories. Great stuff!
I only gave it three stars because I did have a little trouble getting through the whole book. I think that a book like this that combines history and folklore it a delicate balance and it sometimes came through a a little dry/slow at times as far a ghost stories are concerned. However, the history of the area is very interesting and if you are someone who is looking for stories that are a little more grounded in that history then you will probably very much enjoy this book!

[Me · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both based on folklore and actual research, this book is crammed full of various haunted lighthouses, ships and of course, lakes. All the cases take place in or around the Great Lakes. Included are numerous photos which really helps to spike interest. This would be appropriate for later elementary up to adulthood.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred did a great job here. Haunted lighthouses and their stories, superstitions, ghost ships (the Mary Celestes of the Lakes), underwater ghosts, lakeside spirits, sea serpents and other creatures, messages from beyond. The book comes with many nice photos of the locations and ships. Really worth your time (maybe you plan your next trips to some of the locations mentioned) and highly recommended!

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

im sad to say i really flipped through this book to get it over with. i love spooku stories. but sadly....i was bored. it was like reading wikipedia other than something that would grab my attention. im sad i got bored

[Jacquie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading these ghosts stories about my home state. This book has instigated many spontaneous trips. Thank goodness both my husband and I are retired. This is a great book to spark an interest along with the beauty of the lakes surrounding my state.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Great Lakes shipping/sailing books. Especially those about shipwrecks and strange happenings on the Great Lakes.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the usual Great Lakes shipping book. Still a fun read that makes you wonder what is real. Anyone who likes the Great Lakes should check it out.

[Beenee Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous book!

[Faith Combel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would be an interesting book if it was a topic if Intrest, not really sure why I read it lol

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kinda fun. My only complaint is that after awhile, the stories kinda blend / mush together. Still, I learned a lot about the Great Lakes. And I no longer scan Lake Superior for ships!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great ghost stories and history here specific to the Great Lakes!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stonehouse prefaces the book as an unbeliever of the supernatural. However, that was before he became the recipient of many, many stories of unexplainable maritime events (from reputable sources) AND he had his own eery experience while photographing the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse Museum. The experience made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he began to accept the stories told to him as more than folklore. The collection of stories that he gathered range from spirits of sunken ships stories to to sea monsters. A must read! Perhaps you'll come away a believer too!

[Jeremy Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing book which nicely weaves bits of ghost lore into the maritime history of the great lakes, this book presents many captivating tales. The reason why I didn't give it a better rating is due to what believed was poor choice of formatting. The chapters were categorized by type of ghost story (such as haunted light houses, ghost ships, etc.) which seems like a good idea on the surface but yielded a repetitive nature to the book. After awhile, reading stories that are similar to all of the stories before it starts to get boring.

[Susan Jo Grassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one who enjoys reading about the paranormal, when I saw this book I decided it should be on my Halloween reading list. I've only seen Lake Michigan from Chicago and never really gave the Great Lakes much thought as a place of paranormal happens. There have been over 6,000 wrecks with a loss of over 30,000 lives. The last major loss happening in November 1975 when the "Edmund Fitzgerald" went down on Lake Superior with all hands, 29 souls. This book was absolutely captivating. Will I read "Haunted Lakes II"? Yes! Do I believe the lakes and shoreline to be haunted? You betcha!

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining compilation of photos and research results regarding lore of the Great Lakes. This book is a staple in the gift shop of the Historical Society of Duluth, Mn, as well as other museum gift shops all along the coasts of lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. The stories are presented as they were researched, not just hauntings and curses, but superstitions and visual misinterpretations as well. Well worth the read!

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually had more stories in it than I thought. It also had lot's of good history about Michigan/Great Lakes which was pretty intresting. Another thing that I liked was that every chapteer had a different story, so if you did'nt like one you could go to the next. I would recomend thins book to almost anyone who has visited michigan or likes ghost/afterlife stories.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

History, Lore, Superstition, and Campfire stories about unexplained events related to the Great Lakes, their lighthouses and the ships that sailed on them. The history is good, but the stories leave you wanting more. Nothing scary, mostly just one off stories about something, someone believes they saw.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of random stories of ghosts, etc on the Great Lakes. I was more interested in hearing about the history of sailing on the Great Lakes and found the stories to be somewhat tedious sometimes. I don't think I'll read the sequel to this book.

[Nancy]

Short pieces; a long read. No 'plot' to hold it together and make one want to continue.

[jzmcdaisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you believe in stories like this or not, I still think these stories are fascinating.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The perfect ghost story book, scary, but not so scary that you can't read it before bed!