Ghosthunting Michigan. Helen Pattskyn
host a couple of pipe organ concerts each year. “We have one of the few functioning pipe organs in the state,” she added. As she continued with the theater’s history, I learned that after the silent-movie era, the Baldwin hosted vaudeville performances. “Rumor has it Houdini performed here,” said Lesley, “but it’s just a rumor.” In the 1950s, the Baldwin was converted over to “talkies”—talking pictures—and first-run movies were shown. But by the 1960s, the theater began its long, slow decline, showing only second-run films. The theater finally shut down after a fire in 1984. It was shortly thereafter that the city of Royal Oak sold the theater to the Stagecrafters, and they began their long and loving restoration process.
In addition to the main stage on the first floor, there is a second, smaller stage built into the old balcony area, behind the lighting/tech booth, where smaller productions are shown.
Lesley told me that she’s had a number of paranormal investigators come through and has heard lots of stories from employees and patrons alike about ghosts. She invited me to follow her backstage and explained that quite a few people have claimed to hear “deliberate, slow” footsteps in the wings, just under the rigging, even though no one else was anywhere nearby. Next she led the way downstairs to the “green room,” where actors hang out between scenes. It’s also where the Stagecrafters’s costumers work, creating wardrobes for each of the company’s productions—as many as ten plays per year on both stages and as a part of their youth program.
“What most people don’t know is that this used to be a fallout shelter,” Lesley added, as we walked down the narrow stairs. It’s also where there has been the most spectral activity in the past. “People have said they felt like they were being watched. I’ve even had people say they felt like someone had touched them down here,” said Lesley.
She pointed out the door to the orchestra pit and said that when she first came to the theater, no one seemed to be able to photograph it clearly. Pictures were always distorted or clouded over; many had orbs in them. “It’s been quiet the last couple of years,” she added, explaining that in the beginning she had so many people coming through that she wonders if maybe the ghosts got annoyed and went away—or at least have decided to lie low for a while. “You’re the first person I’ve had through here in almost a year.” I felt both flattered and grateful to Lesley for giving me not only so much of her time, but also allowing me to tour the theater and write about it.
She went on to tell me about one particular incident in which a theater worker—he’s not with the theater any longer, although that has nothing to do with the ghosts—came downstairs to find that all of the furniture and a bunch of boxes that he’d stacked up earlier in the day had all been moved to the center of the room. At first, he assumed the actors or staff members were pulling a prank, but everyone who was there denied having anything to do with it. Not only was the man in question one of the most honest people Lesley said she’d ever worked with, but also he didn’t see any reason to doubt his colleagues—and there hadn’t been very many people around that day, anyway.
Lesley led the way through a labyrinth of corridors to the wig and makeup rooms, back up the stairs to the lobby and up to the second stage. “We’ve probably had as much activity up here as down in the green room,” she told me, although the second stage has also been quiet the last few years.
Lesley told me about one man’s particularly harrowing experience in the second stage area. Behind the stage is the lighting/tech booth, for the lower, main stage. One of the stagehands was going about his business when he got locked in the booth—the door should have opened, but he said it seemed “stuck.” For the next several minutes, he heard loud pounding, like someone beating their palms or fists up against the walls from the outside—when he finally got the door open, no one was anywhere to be seen.
She told me that on another occasion, the technicians came in to find the lights above the second stage had been moved around overnight, that instead of pointing at the stage, they were pointing at the ceiling. Not only was the building locked up and empty overnight, but theater lights are big, heavy pieces of equipment. They’re also pretty high up off the floor. It takes special equipment and usually a couple of people working together to move them; it certainly couldn’t have been the job of a lone prankster.
Finally, Lesley pointed out a door off to the left, behind the seating area, telling me that there have been a number of sightings of an apparition in the doorway. I decided that it would make a good picture for the book—but the brand-new batteries that I had just put in my camera that morning were dead … proof? Who knows, but I had been saying ever since staying overnight at the Blue Pelican (see Chapter 28) that I would love to experience something a little more “concrete” for myself. Maybe the ghosts of the Baldwin Theatre decided to come out of hiding to grant my wish.
CHAPTER 5
Bone Head’s BBQ
WILLIS
I WAS SITTING AROUND with some friends the week after Easter talking about the book I was writing. Everybody knew about the project, knew my deadline was fast approaching, and was excited to hear how it was going. They weren’t saying “no” if I happened to offer up a couple of ghost stories, either. One of them even had a ghost story for me.
“We were at Bone Head’s BBQ a few months ago,” my friend Jayne told me. “And my son swore he saw a guy standing by the foot of the stairs leading up to the second floor. When I looked up, I didn’t see anything, but when he told our waitress about it, she said it was probably one of the ghosts.”
I’ve known Jayne long enough to consider her reliable, even if I’ve never met her teenage son. “So where is this place?” I asked.
She grinned. “Ypsilanti, I think. I can’t remember which road—you can probably find it online.”
When I got home, I did a quick Internet search and found out that Bone Head’s BBQ is actually in Willis, a tiny community that’s little more than a dot on the map, just south of Ypsilanti Charter Township. I mapped out my route, packed my gear and an overnight bag, and headed westward on I-94 once again. Willis is actually within easy driving distance of metro-Detroit, but I like to be prepared and was planning a couple of other stops along the way.
I timed my arrival at Bone Head’s for lunch because I love BBQ-style food, but I nearly missed my destination and had to turn around. The restaurant did not look like much from the outside, and the town around it consisted of little more than railroad tracks, a post office, and a few streets of older-looking homes. But sometimes the best food is served up in the most out-of-the-way places.
The exterior of the old wood-sided building may have been unimpressive, but as soon as I walked in the door, I knew that I’d come to exactly the right place, both for lunch and ghost stories. The décor was reminiscent of an old general store, the atmosphere was relaxed, and the smells coming from the kitchen were enough to convince me I wouldn’t be disappointed. I was greeted by a friendly server and told her that while I was definitely staying for lunch, that wasn’t the real reason for my visit. I was writing a book about haunted places and wondered if there might be somebody there who could talk to me about ghosts.
She hesitated a moment before suggesting I should maybe check out their website.
Of course, I would definitely do that when I got back home. “But what I’m really hoping to get are some more personal stories,” I went on. “Anything you’ve experienced, or maybe something one of your co-workers or customers have told you.”
Over the course of my travels, I’ve learned that sometimes I’ve had to ask more than once. If someone says “no,” or “not interested,” I’ve backed off—some businesses really do not want a “haunted reputation.” But sometimes people have hesitated either because they weren’t sure what I was really asking them for, or because they didn’t want to come off as sounding crazy. Sometimes just talking to folks for a few minutes was the best way to get