WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter these properties. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property. 

Shelldrake is a very cool old town for you to visit. It's located in Whitefish Township, Chippewa County in the Upper Peninsula, between Whitefish Point and Paradise on N. Whitefish Point Road.

Centuries ago it was a fishing village for Native Americans, until the Europeans came in and settled on the land. In 1895, Bay City's Penoyer Brothers began operating a lumber business in Shelldrake and by the late 1890's it was a prosperous lumber town.....but numerous fires and the depletion of timber by the 1920's brought an inevitable end to Shelldrake's lumber business.

There are a nice handful of old, original abandoned buildings scattered throughout the village. There are remains and foundations of Shelldrake's old sawmill, docks, and the log-loading tramway that once led into the bay. Other structures & businesses included a hospital, houses for the lumberjacks, icehouse for storing meat, post office, schoolhouse, and stagecoach stop, many of which are gone.

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An extremely few people live in Shelldrake and even less seem to be aware of a haunting that permeates through the entire town.

Over the centuries, there have been many boat accidents, ships that sank, fires, and accidental deaths. One of the legendary spirits that is rumored to haunt the town is an old sea captain, who may have perished when his ship ended up at the bottom of the lake. Boaters who sail by Shelldrake have seen the figure of the captain along the shore…but as they got closer, the apparition disappeared.

Supposedly, lights come on by themselves in abandoned shacks, shadowy figures have been seen in windows, window shades open on their own, faint cries for help are heard, and the usual sounds that come from nowhere.

However, be forewarned: there are a couple of Shelldrakers who will not welcome visitors and will encourage you to leave.

Shelldrake is four miles north of Paradise and is a very cool and historic Michigan fish & lumber town to visit. It's historic enough to merit its own historical marker!

This village is an awesome place to take photos and/or video. Looking at satellite photos on Google, it appears there are quite a few structures, more than likely some being occupied. So if you visit, treat the place with respect and courtesy, don't litter, don't vandalize, don't go whoopin' and hollerin' like idiots...don't ruin this terrific experience for others...and don't upset the remaining Shelldrakers....

Wanna read more ‘Haunted Michigan’ locations?
Click here for more of John Robinson’s Haunted Michigan!

MORE MICHIGAN GHOST TOWNS!

Ghost Town of Merle Beach

Ghost Town of Port Sheldon

The Quasi-Ghost Town of Pinchtown

 

 

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