Late-Night Basement Noises and Ghostly Voices in this Newaygo B&B

Before we get to the alleged haunting at this B&B in Newaygo, first a little info on the town.

The town history goes back further than many other Michigan towns; information on Newaygo goes back as far as the 1600s. French trappers used to travel the Muskegon River as did prospective entrepreneurs for fur companies.

In 1819, the Treaty of Saginaw was put into effect after it was signed by Ojibwa leader Chief Nuwagon. Because of this historic signing, the town was named after the chief in his honor: ‘Nuwagon’ was anglicized as ‘Newaygo’ and it has remained that way ever since.

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Newaygo’s lumber business kicked off in 1836; being that close to the Muskegon River, it was utilized to float logs down the river to the waiting mills in Muskegon. One of the first lumbermen in Newaygo was John Brooks, who later headed up the town’s first post office in 1847.

The lumber boom in Newaygo continued into the late 1800s, and in 1871 the building that was to become known as the Newaygo Inn was constructed. This new structure became the home of S.K. Riblet, who was instrumental in bringing trade and new settlers through new routes.

In the early 2000s it was turned into a bed & breakfast and named ‘La Belle de la Riviere’, with seven rooms. As for a haunting, yes there is one. It is not as interesting as many other Michigan hauntings, and there is no sordid stories of murder and evil to add to the urban legend. What makes the property haunted are the sounds of music that come from nowhere and late-night odd noises and shuffles coming from the basement. Guests claim to hear ‘ghostly’ voices coming from unoccupied rooms. When asking the front desk, they have no explanation.

So not only can you stay in a truly historic Michigan building, but you may experience a slight haunting – not enough to send you down the street screaming, but enough for you to take notice and have a tale to tell when you get home...

It’s located at 120 State Road in Newaygo.