Hauntings and Urban Legends from Stockbridge, Michigan

Growing up in Stockbridge, I was aware of a couple of hauntings: the old hermit and screaming bitch out near Gregory down Worden Road, and the tale about a guy who hung himself near the entrance of the cemetery down at the end of South Williams Street.

Of course, being a kid, there were any number of things that we imagined were haunted: an old burned-up house, old ladies who we thought could be witches, and any dark building. But over the years, other legends about haunted places in Stockbridge have popped up – whether true or made up, here are a few:

The North Stockbridge Cemetery on M-36.
Yeah, it’s the usual boring stuff like shadows, noises, cold spots, eerie feelings, blah-blah-blah. But one thing about this place that’s different is the rumor about the gravestones. Evidently, some of the gravestones are off-center, which some people feel is the work of restless spirits. I think it’s probably mud. Some people say this is going on in the Oakwood Cemetery within the village limits.

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The Stockbridge Library.
I’m thinking this refers to the former location, when it was in the basement of the town hall, on the lower right side. I can see the creepiness that some might feel when they went through that front door. Along with the usual bumps-in-the-night, there’s the tale of a former librarian who still did her job after she passed away. Her footsteps can be heard as she roams through the aisles, straightening books, tidying things up.

Even though the urban legend doesn’t say which library they are referring to, they could also mean the one between Mechanic and Elizabeth streets on S. Wood Street. On that lot many decades ago was a junked-car lot...not a business, just an empty lot where old cars were dumped off and left to rust. I recall as kids, we used to go down there and check out all those junkers...many from the 50s, 40s, and even 30s were abandoned there. So I’m jumping to a conclusion that if it’s indeed this library someone is calling ‘haunted’, I’m thinking there’s some connection between the junked cars and their former owners. I don’t know. It’s a wild guess. Otherwise, I’d have to go with the old town hall library that would have paranormal activity.

The Former Stockbridge Hotel
Yes, people have died there in the past, mainly those who were just passing through town. So any activity could be from those unfortunates, or just a former guest that causes flickering lights, doors that open & close on their own, and the usual creaks, moans, footsteps, and poundings.

I remember many years ago when it was a place to go have Sunday dinner. I’m not sure if it was still a hotel then or not, but it’s had a number of owners over the years, all with different purposes for the building.

Then there’s the rumor about an old Victorian house on Main Street that has been called a “Haunted” house. Without pinpointing it out, you can probably guess which one it is. Past residents have remarked they felt very uneasy living there and heard voices in the dark. During the times between owners, human figures were seen in the windows by people on the street.

In the Stockbridge area, there are also a couple of former cemeteries, with the gravestones all removed (but were all the bodies?) - one at the corner of Adams & Morton roads and another in a neighborhood backyard on Wood Street. There's possibly an old Native American Burial Ground as well. If you ever encounter strange lights floating above the ground during the night, then you have stumbled across the burial ground.