Colonel Stockton’s 1872 Haunted Mansion: Flint, Michigan

Is the Stockton House in Flint haunted or is this another case of someone’s fertile imagination? Let’s go over the family backstory…

This mansion was constructed in 1872 by Colonel Thomas Stockton and his wife, Maria (Maria was the daughter of Flint’s first European settler, Jacob Smith). Stockton, a veteran of the Civil War and Mexican-American War, was already 67 years old when his home was built. He was a founding member of the Genesee County Agricultural Society; many summertime events ended up being held on Stockton’s property, like socials and county fairs. The large amount of land the Stocktons owned was thanks to Maria, whose inheritance included the property.

Maria was the first President of the Ladies’ Library Association in 1851 which morphed into Flint’s first public library.

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Thomas and Maria were well-liked in the community; they donated land for the Michigan School for the Deaf, Dumb & Blind and continued to be an influential force in the Flint area for the remainder of their lives.

So that rather tame background doesn’t sound like anything in particular that would be cause for a haunting, right? Evidently, that doesn’t matter, as there have been visitor claims that the colonel’s spirit has been heard clomping down the staircase at any given hour.

Joe Schipani, who is one of the authors of Haunted Flint said in an MLive article, “I used to have an office in the downstairs of the Stockton House and sometimes I would have to go there late at night to unload stuff after events, (and it) gave me the chills."

Still not enough to convince me.

The mansion was also used for years as an infirmary. One visitor claimed to be walking down the empty halls when he heard the ethereal sound of a woman humming. Another says there’s a ghost that whistles. There is photo evidence of a ghostly figure watching over an elderly piano player…and you can see right through her. Some feel the place is protectively watched over by some of the nuns that used to work there…or maybe former patients.

Nobody can pinpoint who or what these spirits may be…that is, if the noises are caused by ghosts or just the sounds of the house itself. Who knows? Even though there are no explanations, the people involved – and some paranormal investigators – believe the place is indeed inhabited by ghosts. But they are there to protect, not to harm.

Take the tour and see if you detect anything.

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