The Spirits of a Little Girl and Indian Chief Haunt Hastings

Just outside of Hastings lies the Historic Charlton Park. It's basically an old town that has been created out of buildings and homes that date back from the late 1800's - early 1900's. It has the usual buildings, like a general store, church, blacksmith, etc.....but one of those buildings seems to hold something other than artifacts: a ghost.

The Bristol Inn was built in 1848 as a stagecoach stop; travelers going back & forth from Grand Rapids to Battle Creek would often stop here for a bite, drink, to water the horses or snooze. In 1869 the stage stopped running thanks to the railroads. One day, a little girl was playing hide & seek and climbed into a trunk; unfortunately, the trunk either locked or snapped itself shut and she couldn't get out. She ended up being smothered to death before anyone could find her.

To this day, volunteers who take care of the hotel's upkeep say they've heard the little girl's mother walking the wooden halls, looking for her lost daughter. Every year when the park re-creates Civil War battles, visitors say they've actually seen & heard a mysterious little girl, hiding from them and giggling.

The park is open most of the time, but find out details on when you can visit by checking out this link: Historical Charlton Park. It's located at 2545 S. Charlton Park Rd, Hastings.

What other haunt is in Hastings?

How about the spirit of an Indian chief? Hastings Middle School was built over an old Indian burial ground. Students and faculty members claim to have seen a shadowy spirit of an old Indian chief walking the halls. This spirit is called "Chief Turkey Feather," due to his penchant of leaving a turkey feather in the classrooms he visits...

Ya wanna visit the school? You obviously need permission, but if your earnest about visiting and not there to destroy property, the school is located at 232 W Grand Street in Hastings. Once there, go to the office for permission to explore...and ALWAYS be respectful, wherever you investigate.

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