The Farmhouse That Appears – and Disappears: Manton, Michigan

The town of Manton sits in Wexford County, about 35 miles south of Traverse City. To the average person, it’s a typical Michigan small town, with a few old historic downtown buildings from over 100 years ago still standing and most of the things found in any Michigan small town.

But there is something else that may be going on here – something that we’ve only heard in bedtime stories.....but first, a brief history of the town...

Manton began in 1872 when it was known under the name of Cedar Creek. One of the first three settlers was George Manton, who owned most of the property in town and was made postmaster in 1873; when the town was platted in 1874, the town’s name was changed to the name of the man who owned most of the land.

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Typical backstory, for sure...nothing unique or spectacular that stands out – but there is a story within Manton that has residents scratching their heads.

A man who grew up in Manton recalls when he was a teenager, he and a girlfriend were investigating an old farmhouse on the eastern outskirts of the town. The farmhouse sat along one of the old former mining roads back in a grassy area and the two paid a visit during the evening, using flashlights. When they went back during daylight, they couldn’t find the house. It had disappeared. This occurrence happened more than once; they could explore the house at night, but by day, it was gone....in its place was an empty field.

The man remembered what the inside of the house looked like: no furniture, no drapes, a wooden floor, and no broken windows.

The story is similar to the tale of the mythical Brigadoon, a town in Scotland that only appears every 100 years.

If anyone dares to go looking for this appearing/disappearing farmhouse, take note: if you find it, make sure you get out before daylight. If it does mirror the same circumstances as in Brigadoon, then you could be in trouble. When Brigadoon disappears at daylight, anyone visiting disappears with it and is not seen or heard from for another hundred years.