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

