H

ave you ever been to
Machpelah Cemetery
and heard bells ring-
ing or sensed a mysterious
black mist in the air? Dined
at the Whitney in Detroit and
spied the visage of old Flora
Whitney and could have sworn
you saw the late wife of the
lumber baron staring back at
you in the reflec-
tion of a mirror?
Then you may
want to pick up a
copy of Michigan
Haunts: Public
Places, Eerie Spaces
(2019, Arcadia
Publishing),
co-authored by
Jon Milan and
Gail Offen, who
wrote this book as
an offshoot from
researching their other two
books on Michigan’
s history.
The book is filled with
stories and legends about
allegedly haunted public places
throughout Michigan —every-
thing from restaurants, bars
and inns to lighthouses and

libraries.
For a haunted jaunt through
the state, Offen advises read-
ers to traverse Grand River
Avenue. Potholes aside, it can
take you from Downtown
Detroit to the shores of Lake
Michigan, passing small towns
loaded with haunted theaters,
bars and battlefields.
“Essentially, Grand River
Avenue is Michigan’
s Route
66,” said Offen, who had a long
career in advertising before
authoring books. “I entered
into writing this book as a
sideline. Everywhere I stopped,
I encountered people who
wanted to tell me stories and
legends of places in their town
that had a reputation for being
haunted. This book is the cul-
mination of those stories.”
For those with no immediate
travel plans, Detroit has no
shortage of spooky tales. Offen
points to the tale of Flora, the
uppity wife of lumber baron
David Whitney. He built the
showy mansion on Woodward
Avenue for his wife, who died
before she had the chance to

move in. Legend has it she
began haunting the place to
scare off Whitney’
s new wife
and has been there ever since.
It is said she’
s still rattling
silverware and glasses in the
upscale restaurant’
s bar.
Offen said while some plac-
es, like Greenfield Village, want
to keep a low profile on their
haunts, the Whitney makes
no secret of it, even naming a
drink after Flora and having
ghost dinners this time of year.
The book also discusses
Detroit’
s Harry Houdini con-
nection and how he died here
on Halloween of 1926.
Listed in the book is The
Schvitz in the city’
s North End.
The establishment had notori-
ous ties with the Purple Gang,
as evidenced by still-visible

bullet holes in the lobby.
When the heat was on in
Detroit, Offen said they’
d flee
to the Doherty Hotel in Claire,
where gang member Isaac
Lebov was shot to death by his
cousin. Beneath the hotel is a
recently excavated tunnel that
provided Purple Gang mem-
bers a secret getaway from
police.
The book also provides a
sneaky way to teach kids about
history.
“Who doesn’
t like to learn
about spooky old places?”
Offen said. “Kids will also
learn about the history of their
state. Whether you believe
much of what’
s in these stories
or are more of a skeptic, every
place has a story.”
Offen and Milan are on a
local book tour and details
and dates can be found on the
Michigan Haunts’
Facebook
page.

26 | OCTOBER 31 • 2019

Gail Offen

Haunted Michigan

New book provides spooky legends
and Michigan history, too.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jews in the D

Jon Milan

TOP LEFT: The ghost of David
Whitney’
s first wife is said to haunt
the mansion, now a restaurant.
TOP: Is Machpelah Cemetery haunt-
ed? ABOVE: Harry Houdini died on
Halloween 1926 in Detroit.

COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

COURTESY MACHPELAH CEMETERY

COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS