If there is one area in Michigan’s Upper Thumb where haunting paranormal activity resides, it would have to be Bay Port. The area was the vanished Ora Labora German Colony site that existed from 1862-1867, the spooky and unattended Old Bay Port Cemetery, and the address of the Sweet Dreams Inn where many claim to have experienced paranormal activity.
The Largest Dwelling in Michigan’s Thumb Built by a Lumberman
The Inn was built-in 1890 at the end of the lumber era in the Upper Thumb. Commissioned by William H. Wallace, the Victorian-style home was designed with the tastes and style common at that time by those with means. Wallace was active in politics and was a delegate in the Republican National Convention in 1908, 1916, and 1924. He was president of Michigan Sugar Company and Bay Port State Bank. He owned the Wallace Stone Quarry which is just south of town and still in operation today.
His first wife, Elizabeth died in 1893 and local lore tells that she passed away in the home. There is also a bit of a mystery in that despite the local prominence of this individual Wallace and his son are not buried nearby. Thus it’s no coincidence that visitors say Wallace and his first wife still roam the inn with his heavy footsteps, as well as whispering in the ears of the guests.
“Me and my best friend live in Bay Port We have seen ghosts and heard screams countless times walking on the street in front of the sweet dreams inn. Also have heard stories of the ghosts and have seen the little girl looking out of the left window on the third floor. So I believe it is haunted!!!”
Guests Used To Stay with the Spirits in Bay Port
The Sweet Dreams Inn was a specialized bed-and-breakfast where guests hoped to experience these friendly ghosts’ proximity. Guests have reported that doors open and close, beds and chairs are moved. Some report that they feel being touched and hear voices and footfalls where nobody has been. One event that was caught on a cell phone video was that of an “orb” flying through one of the guest bedrooms. At times guests are unnerved by the experience and leave in the middle of the night.
“Been there several times and have experienced activity first hand: footsteps, voices. Just because one person doesn’t have an experience doesn’t mean it never happens.”
Sweet Dreams Inn Noted in Print and Video
The inn has been featured in two Haunted Michigan travel books. The Victorian-style bed and breakfast were featured in 2007 within “Michigan’s Most Haunted, A Ghostly Guide to the Great Lakes State,” written by Sandy Arno Lyons. It was also featured as a Michigan Haunted House, in a paranormal documentary and movie. The Inn is currently closed. If and when it ever opes again, the Sweet Dreams Inn registered guests by appointment.
Walk Through a Cemetery of a Long Lost Religious Colony – Ora Labora
In the 1860s German immigrants started a religious commune called Ora Labora. In its first year, 140 settlers established a town in the wilderness. However, the colony was plagued by illness, and within months of their arrival, the group suffered the first death of a little girl. A cemetery was established on the edge of the colony. It’s the final resting place for a town that has disappeared from all the maps. The burial ground still exists and is the only remnant of this long-lost colony.
Other Haunted Michigan Material
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Related Haunted Bay Port Michigan Reading
- Cost of Living in 1917
- Bayport Crowds Hooked at Fish Sandwich Festival
- The Story of the Caseville Grave Robbers
- 8 Haunted and Spooky Sites to Visit in Michigan’s Thumb
- Experience a Haunted House in Bay Port Michigan
- Ora et Labora Michigan – A Little Colony in the Wilderness – Part One
- A Lost Lumber and Company Town – New River Michigan
- Was The Bay Port Hotel Haunted?
Sources
- Quotes from – http://www.hauntedhovel.com
Fascinating!
Why not a picture of the inn? Been to Bay Port many times never knew.
The picture at the top is of the Sweet Dreams Inn. I see if I can get some other shots added later.
Spooky! I love stuff like this. I’d like to test my mettle by attempting to stay overnight…as long as someone comes with me, lol. I wonder who will buy the place?