Re-Visiting Lansing's Turner-Dodge House: Ghosts and All

One of the Lansing area's most talked-about spots for historic value, a trip back in time.....and even paranormal occurrences is the Turner-Dodge House. I've been there a number of times and have never witnessed anything out of the ordinary, except it's a cool old mansion.

Many years ago I was hired to deejay at some event on the third floor. Back then, sound equipment was heavy, clumsy, and way too big, unlike today where everything is digitized and compact. To get to the ballroom on the third floor, there was a flight of steep stairs around the back where I had to lug everything up. Not fun, but that stairway is still there and very cool. Just don’t expect me to carry heavy equipment up that anymore.

The Turner-Dodge House was built by James & Marion Turner in 1855 (some sites say 1858), at 100 E. North Street. Turner had moved to Lansing from Mason and owned a general store inside Lansing's first hotel, the Seymour House. James’ time within the house was too brief, as he passed away in 1869. His wife Marion continued to live there for a number of years.

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After the house was taken over by their son James Munroe Turner, he had the whole house renovated from 1900 thru 1903, changing the look completely. In 1899 after James Jr. died, his sister Abbey and brother-in-law Frank Dodge bought the house. More improvements were made by the Dodges, and in 1929, their daughter Josephine took possession.

In 1974 the City of Lansing bought the house and the property; two years later in 1976, the house was listed as an historic site.

FAST FACTS:
1958: Taken over by the Great Lakes Bible College
1900s-2000s: Many renovations throughout those years

The mansion has been described as a "happy house" by those who have lived at the house ever since 1858; even Chief Okemos spent evenings there and many Native Americans would stop as they traveled by on the trails.

As for hauntings.....

There have been very few actual reports of any type of paranormal activities experiences at Turner-Dodge House but mansions like these are always considered creepy and possibly haunted. Here are two of the legends surrounding the Turner-Dodge house:

1) A photographer says he was taking pictures of a model on the grounds outside the mansion. When he looked up, he saw a man with a beard standing in the window on the top floor; when the photographer turned his camera to the window, the figure was gone. Upon developing his pictures, he did find one with a bearded man standing in the window; he believes it was a ghost. So where is this photo now? I think it could very well have been a human inside unless the photog has more details.

2) In 1984, two boys and their uncle were out in the parking lot of the mansion when they noticed a smiling man looking down on them from the top window. Seconds later, the house was filled with flashing lights and other windows had people appearing in them. This frightened the three so much, they took off through a field; one boy saw a tree stump disappear as he ran toward it. There may be easy explanations for both of them, but they MUST have had a huge affect on these people that urged them to report their experiences.

It is currently a museum open to everyone...pay a visit and experience it for yourself...