Ghosts and Legends of Michigan's West Coast

Haunted America

by Amberrose Hammond

Western Michigan is home to some of the state's most picturesque places and also some of its most chilling tales. Ghost story researcher and enthusiast Amberrose Hammond exposes the mysterious and spirit-ridden world of many beloved Michigan destinations as she skillfully weaves narratives of a world unseen by most. From the lingering spirit forever working in the Grand Theatre and the band of melon-headed children prowling the Saugatuck State Park to the lights of the Lake Forest Cemetery staircase waiting to reveal one's place in the afterlife, these tales are sure to give pause to anyone daring enough to experience these hauntingly beautiful spots...after dark."

Genres: Ghosts, Paranormal, Local History, Nonfiction, Adult

130 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Amberrose Hammond has been interested in the strange and unusual since she was a little kid, reading and watching everything that had to do with ghosts, mysteries, legends and all things out of the ordinary. Amberrose has been actively researching legends, ghost stories, haunted places and unusual and macabre topics in Michigan history since 2000. She earned a B.A. in English from Grand Valley State University in 2005 and in 2006 her pursuits into the paranormal and strange history led her to develop Michigan’s Otherside, a website delving into the unusual and mysterious worlds of Michigan, past and present.

Amberrose is also an avid cemetery and local history enthusiast. She is a member of the Dusty Dozen’s, a private group of local history aficionados and enthusiasts in the West Michigan area. Her first book published with The History Press in 2009 was Ghosts & Legends of Michigan’s West Coast, and her second book, Wicked Ottawa County, Michigan, was published in 2011. Her newest is Wicked Grand Rapids, and came out in May 2014. She has a passion for sharing Michigan’s strange, wicked, unusual and spooky history in an entertaining and fun way.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greetings from the "ghost story junkie". This small book appealed to all my ghost story hunger like good Kentucky bourbon would appeal to an alcoholic. They were also appealing because most of the places represented here are within a couple of hours of my home. In their senior year of high school my son and two of his his friends made a trip to Klakaska to see the "shoe tree"....a story inspire perhaps by the "Walled Lake Child Killer"...a memorial to all the youngsters that he was suppose to have killed. No one even knows if he really existed or was he just a local legend that grew over the years. They were disappointed as it was just a tree full of shoes but the story worked up a good case of goose-bumps so it wasn't exactly a wasted trip:) I have seen the "Grand Theater" in Grand Haven which was an investigation effort by TV's "Ghost Hunters" Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. Many people have reported hearing footsteps that have no visible source...and no one wishes to go to the basement alone...day or night. With 4 of the 5 Great Lakes making their homes in Michigan there are numerous "haunted" lighthouses and mysterious ghostly freighters sailing to their doom over and over. It doesn't matter if you are a believer or a non-believer. If you enjoy being just slightly scared or if you go for the "whole nine yards" these recounts will do just fine for you. Oh...be sure to leave the light on.

[Lon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read about the haunted side of Michigan's west coast by my friend Amberrose Hammond.

[lyonel Lamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a lot of fun!

A spooky read, that could have used a bit more editing, but interesting nonetheless! Read it to my long distance boyfriend over the phone, who lives in Michigan, to feel closer to my future home.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should be called Ghosts and Legends mostly of Ottawa County and a couple of other places.

[Jacqi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun to read about spooky legends from my hometown and other nearby areas. When I was a teenager in the 1970s, my friends and I would often go to Grand Haven's Lake Forest Cemetery to explore on a weekend night. This was before ghost hunting was a thing, so we mostly just checked out the old tombstones and wondered about the stories of the people buried there. We also went to the Grand Theater from time to time and it was just as eerie as described. One detail that I was disappointed was not included in the story of Charles Hackley -- when I was child going to the Hackley Library, someone told me that the little room towards the front of what is now the children's department on the second floor was where Charles Hackley had been laid out for his funeral and that all the people of the city had come to view him lying in state there. For us, that was a big reason to believe in the haunting of the library by Mr. Hackley and even as an adult, I never got over feeling the room was a little spooky as a result.

[Sarah Raptis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up at the Grand Rapids airport hoping for something that would keep me entertained on my flight back to Los Angeles. Well, it wasn’t quite long enough for that, but I must say this was a fun read! Not too serious—more of a surface level re-telling of old, local legends—but it captured my attention just the same. I’ll keep it at our Lake Michigan vacation home for others to enjoy. Several of the sites are within walking distance of our place—so spooky and fun :)

[Michael Delaware · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have interviewed Amberrose Hammond several times on my podcast 'Tales of Southwest Michigan's Past' and she always has great stories to tell. This book is one of her earliest ones, and it is an fun collection of stories and legends from West Michigan. I look forward to reading more of her books.

[Nancy Erie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I would recommend this book to anyone in Michigan or any where for that matter. I am always searching for books about history close to where I live and I really enjoyed reading this one.

[Elizabeth Kitchel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy learning about the history of Michigan along with some spooky tales, I recommend. I enjoyed learning all the background about things not just a bunch of urban legends.

[TIna Moomey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book

I loved this book and have read Ghost stories of Oregon and Washington too. Just wished I could have read more stories.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "ghost stories " were .... ehh. General speculation and rumors. The history was interesting, though.

[Livey · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting

I hadn’t heard about the myths and stories of Michigans West coast. I lived in Lansing Michigan for 12 years. It was an interesting read.

[Margolin Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that delves into the history behind some classic and new stories with an open-minded skeptics approach. I enjoy ghost books that don't blindly believe in every story they are writing about. I really enjoyed the story about the consignment shop in Grand Haven and the detective work used to bring the murder mystery to life. I also liked the Ghost of the Grand Theatre story seeing I remember going there as a child! One of the better ghost books on Michigan tales! Highly recommended!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Full of stories from St. Joseph north to Traverse City. It was a fun quick read. Most of the stories were new to me which added to my enjoyment. I love the shoe tree story. My own home town has a shoe tree that people claim is the "original." If you like a well balanced look at ghosts and legends this is a great book!

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I blame the editor in me for getting distracted by errors (should be "Mackinac Island" not "Mackinaw" - pages 32-34 and "sight" not "site" - page 92). Unfortunately this, along with a bit of dry repitiveness, detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book... I'm still reminded of books like Weird Michigan. Probably a good read for aspiring ghost hunters on MI's western side though!

[Cindy Van Iwaarden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeing as the author has been a paranormal investigator for a decade I was expecting more answers than questions. The questions only seem to add to the hype of theses legends. It was an easy light read and fun in October

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, though not spell binding. It's a lite version of Ghost Hunters, with occasional flashes of some really scary places.

[Robert Studabaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost stories

Good fast book to read. Love the stories of the lighthouses. Have visited the White River Lighthouse. Looking forward to visit the other places mentioned.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non-fiction look at the facts and legends of the unexplained in West MI. Fun

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was full of interesting stories.