October 30, 2015 at 2:16 p.m.
Northwoods haunts
Northwoods haunts
By Michael Stasburg-
For generations, Northwoods communities have passed down stories of haunted forests, possessed properties, eerie lakes and supernatural occurrences.
Whether our imaginations are spurred by lumber camp myths, urban legends from farm country or our state's unfortunate history with deranged killers, the Northwoods has its fair share of "haunted" locations.
Many of these spots are linked to frightening stories that people believe are directly responsible for any mysterious phenomena that may occur on the premises.
Some might say these locations are anomalies where something just isn't right. Rod Serling would call these places "the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition," - or, the twilight zone.
Those looking for something a little more frightening than trick-or-treating this Halloween may consider visiting one of the following spooky places.
Summerwind
Perhaps the Northwoods' best known haunted spot is the Lamont mansion - better known as Summerwind. Nestled away in the woods of Land O' Lakes, along the shore of West Bay Lake, the ruins of this palatial dwelling have both warded off and attracted visitors for decades.
The residence existed as a modest fishing lodge until Robert Lamont, a member of President Hoover's cabinet, purchased and renovated the property in 1916.
Lamont was Secretary of Commerce from 1929-1932 - during the onset of Great Depression - so it wouldn't be a stretch to believe that bad luck followed him wherever he went. Information on the mansion's early hauntings is sparse, but according to various websites the original story is that Lamont woke up one night to find intruders in his home and fired his pistol at them.
The "intruders," however, were later thought to be spectral beings, as the bullets from Lamont's pistol supposedly went directly through them without leaving a trace of blood or injury. Lamont's bullet holes were seen - and photographed - in the mansion's basement for years afterward.
Following Lamont's death, the house changed hands a number of times. In the 1970s, the house was purchased by Arnold and Ginger Hinshaw, who moved into the mansion with their children - only to live out something of a real-life adaptation of "The Shining."
Legend has it that the Hinshaws experienced a great number of typical haunted house occurrences - apparitions, doors and windows opening, murmers and whispers, objects being moved, etc. One of the more remarkable stories is that Arnold found a corpse in a hidden compartment in the house's basement.
After years of living in the house with these experiences, Arnold suffered a mental breakdown and Ginger attempted suicide. Following these events, the Hinshaws divorced, Arnold was institutionalized and Ginger recovered and remarried.
Surprisingly, Ginger's father, Raymond Bober, purchased the house and planned to turn it into a country inn. However, Bober's plans never got off the ground.
Construction workers abandoned the project early on, supposedly because their tools frequently went missing and measurements continued to change - almost as if the house was morphing.
Bober himself began experiencing many of the hauntings that his daughter suffered from during her residence.
Bober claimed to achieve supernatural communication with the sprit haunting the house through a variety of means, including dreams, a ouija board and seances. He even wrote a book detailing his experiences.
Bober believed that the source of the hauntings was the spirit of Jonathan Carver, a colonial explorer who Bober claimed was constantly searching the house for a lost deed which would grant him a massive amount of property in northern Wisconsin.
Bober eventually gave up on his plans to renovate the mansion and moved away. Oddly enough, neighbors alleged that Bober never spent a single night living in the house. They claimed he resided in a trailer parked outside.
The mansion fell deep into ruin in the 1980s after Bober abandoned it. Despite being private property, the legends surrounding the house have made it a frequent place for teenagers to visit, even after it's fiery demise. In June of 1988, the mansion was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. All that remains today is the foundation, two chimney stacks ... and perhaps a few restless spirits.
Norwood Pines
Norwood Pines Supper Club has always been a popular place for residents, tourists and even Chicago gangsters to dine, so why not ghosts as well?
Throughout the years, guests and staff have claimed to witness the ghost of a man in a hat and trench coat. Legend has it he was a guest who hanged himself in the upper level of the supper club.
Regardless of whether or not a ghost actually roams the restaurant, there are some facts that lend credence to the superstition. When the current owners purchased the bank-owned property, the bank felt the need to disclose the fact that deaths had occurred on the property and that there had been reports of hauntings over the years.
What's more, the business itself has had a troubled history, having been owned by 15 different proprietors in the past 50 years.
Tula's Cafe
Haunted stories don't have to develop from decades and decades of lore. One of the area's more recent legends originates from Tula's Cafe in Minocqua, an establishment that opened in 1989.
The story is that an elderly man died of a heart attack in the back hallway near the restrooms. The gentleman was pronounced dead on arrival. Soon after the incident, inexplicable things started to happen. Employees have spotted strange mists in the hallway and have said that items and equipment move around of their own accord.
Diners have also experienced cold spots and eerie feelings in the hallway. Some note that noise from the restaurant immediately cuts out upon entering that hallway.
Headwaters Tavern
Headwaters Tavern in Boulder Junction is one of the oldest bars in the town, and rumor has it the rustic tavern is haunted by a mysterious red lady. One wonders which kind of spirits might be causing these visions...
Molly's Rock
Man-made establishments aren't the only places in which hauntings are believed to occur, sometimes spirits are reported to inhabit the natural world.
Take for instance Molly's Rock alongside Pine Lake Road in Rhinelander.
The story goes that a young girl named Molly was killed by a drunk driver on the road. From that point forward, Molly haunted a nearby boulder and her ghostly presence could be observed as a halo floating above it.
It has also been rumored that Molly is hostile to intoxicated individuals who approach her rock and will yell "get off my rock!"
Unfortunately, most of the rock has been destroyed, but that's not to say that the remains don't contain some of Molly's spirit - or her curse.
Paulding Light
Since the 1960s there have been reports of an unusual light that appears in a valley just outside Paulding, Mich.
The most popular explanation is that the light originated after a railroad brakeman was killed there. According to various online sources, the story goes that the brakeman was attempting to stop an oncoming train from colliding with railway cars that were stopped further ahead on the track. The brakeman was killed immediately, and all that remains of the accident is the glow from his lantern, which appears almost every night.
A number of studies have been done on the light, including a recent study by students from Michigan Technological University. It has been theorized that the light is generated from cars traveling on a highway five miles north of the area, and the evidence is convincing. Regardless, the Paulding Light continues to draw a substantial number of observers.
Like the rest of these tales, whether or not the Paulding Light contains any true supernatural significance is beside the point. What's important is that these stories are etched into the fabric of our Northwoods history and continue to live on. As the stories are passed from generation to generation, they may change, grow or be diminished, but one thing is certain, like the spirits featured in them, they refuse to die.
Michael Strasburg may be reached at [email protected].
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