Spooky noises, bumping sounds. Dishes flying across the room. Do you believe in ghosts? There are several houses and establishments in Genesee County that are said to be haunted. According to 99wfmk.com/flint/phantoms Flint has its share of paranormal activity.
The Capitol Theater
It has been said that unusual things happen at the Capitol Theater in Downtown Flint: screams, moans, whispering, knocking and tapping on the walls, doors slamming and footsteps. According to Flint Phantoms, there have been several acting groups that have come to perform at the Capitol who have experienced some weird stuff. For some unexplained reason, their electrical equipment completely shuts down, dead — but when checked, they discover the power is still turned on! Once their equipment went silent, they heard ghostly singing coming from the balcony; upon looking upward, they saw the shapes of shadowy people.
Dryden Building
There’s something happening on the third floor of the Dryden Building! Maintenance people have heard heavy footsteps – presumably male – walking the third-floor hallway. Then there are the sounds of numerous footsteps going up and down the stairs. After hours, the third-floor bathroom is avoided; they can’t explain what’s wrong in there, only that the feeling that overcomes them is one of impending danger and paranoia. The Dryden is at the corner of E. 2nd Street and Saginaw Street.
Cornwall Building
The old Cornwall Building is probably the coolest location. It’s an awesome old mansion that is said to contain the spirits of deceased members of the Cornwall family. If you happen to be walking down 3rd Street – usually at night or dusk — you can see the Cornwall family members looking at you from their old office window. It’s located on the corner of S. Grand Traverse Street and W. 3rd Street.
Read More: HAUNTED MICHIGAN: Four Phantom Fables from Flint | https://99wfmk.com/flint-phantoms/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Other Haunted Places
The Fenton Hotel
In 2014, My City Magazine visited the Fenton Hotel Tavern & Grille and spoke with Owner Nick Sorise. It’s been rumored for many years that the Fenton Hotel is home to a few ghosts. “It’s more than a rumor,” said Sorise, who was not always a believer. “My opinion changed shortly after taking over the building; strange things have happened here.” Glasses have been known to fly off the glass rack with no explanation, and more than one patron has been spooked in the ladies’ room, reporting there is something “very strange about the third stall.” There is also the ghostly patron who orders a Jack Daniels (at a certain table), only to disappear when the server brings the drink order. But don’t let that scare you away.
The Holly Hotel
According to its web site, the Holly Hotel been referred to as the most haunted historic building in Michigan, and perhaps the most haunted in America. By all accounts, the Holly Hotel does seem to be one of the few active haunted hotels where the occurrences continue over and over. The haunting and strange happenings have been observed by many people, from employees to guests.
My City Magazine spoke with some employees at the Hotel and this is what they experienced. One longtime employee said there were longstanding reports of “mischief” in the kitchen. Every night at closing time, the kitchen is meticulously cleaned and everything is put in its place. But on many occasions, the staff returned the next morning to find a hatchet lying out on a counter. He also shared that guests in the women’s restroom had reportedly heard a girl giggling in the first stall, asking for her mommy. One guest realized not a single person was in there, so she ran out in a hurry!
A server at the hotel reported that one day as she opened up the restaurant, her four-year-old son was with her. No one else was in the building, and as he was playing at the bottom of the stairs, her son pointed to the top of the stairs and asked her, “Mommy, who is that man?” She looked but there wasn’t anybody there. She remembers another time when she was waiting on a man and his grandson having tea in the lounge. “The little boy kept leaving the table and going upstairs, and his grandpa kept telling him to sit down and finish eating,” she recalled. The little boy said, “I was talking to my spirit friends. They wanted to join me, but I told them they couldn’t.”
One restaurant manager had another ghostly story to tell. When she came to work, she always arrived early to do a walkthrough of the main dining room, checking the flowers and candles. One day, she saw the image of a man float by in full, Native American headdress. “It was as clear as day,” she said. “He was floating in the corner of the dining room with his arms folded! I looked away and it was gone. I was so spooked.”
This are just a few of the haunted tales of Flint and Genesee County. Have a happy, haunted, spooky, hair-raising Halloween!
