The River City swells with natural beauty, overshadowed by the flowing stream of evil that has yet to relinquish its grip on the city. Experience a dreadful past that plagues the present and the ghosts that stalk those who’ve replaced them in the earthly realm.
It’s an Evil Day in The Neighborhood
The beauty of Grand Rapids is what nature lovers’ dreams are made of, complete with its signature flowing river and trails for days. But not all trails lead home. Some lead us into the depths of darkness, where madness takes over and consumes those in its path.
Grand Rapids Ghosts walks you along the edge of terror to the neighborhood where evil once lived and produced some of the most well-known hauntings in the nation. If Heritage Hill Neighborhood sounds familiar to lovers of the otherworldly, that’s because one of its houses was featured on an episode of A Haunting.
In the 70s, this quaint and cozy neighborhood was the site of several unsolved, gruesome murders that rocked the area. Even though a suspect was arrested, the remnants of his evil deeds have remained with the neighborhood to this day. Poltergeists now inhabit the homes, appearing as smoke-like figures and sending chills down the spines of the living.
Objects moving on their own, lights turning on and off, beds shaking violently, and malevolent spirits reenacting the brutality of their final hours led homeowner Chris Gibbons to contact a priest and a shaman to rid the home of the evil spirits. As you pass by the neighborhood, stay vigilant, as the blessings did not take.
Heritage Hill Neighborhood remains one of the most haunted in America. And it’s one of the many petrifying locations you’ll visit with Grand Rapids Ghosts.
What Will I See?
Visit Grand Rapids’ Most Haunted Locations, Including:
- Amway Grand Plaza Hotel: A popular hotel that caters to Grand Rapids guests and locals from the afterlife. Several deaths have occurred within the walls of the hotel, but none as gruesome as that of Mary, who was horrifically decapitated in an elevator accident. Mary’s spirit remains in the hotel, one of many that haunt the Amway.
- Michigan Bell Building: Serving as an office building today, the building was once a prestigious mansion that housed Warren and Virginia Randall. The murder-suicide deaths of the couple and the trauma from that fateful day continues to haunt the building and taunt those who venture inside.
- Peck Building: Murder is the theme of many Grand Rapids establishments, and the Peck Building is no exception. The site is home to the notorious murder of John and Hannah Peck, murdered by their son-in-law, Arthur Waite. Arthur would be executed for the murders, and the spirits of the Pecks would remain in the building.
Phone Calls From Beyond
True Crime is all the rage, but nowadays, the stories being told are all repeats. Grand Rapids Ghosts introduces you to the cases that haven’t hit the mainstream, such as that of Warren and Virgina Randall. Visit the Michigan Bell Building that sits on the former plot of the Judd-White Mansion, a boarding house that sheltered railroad workers.
Warren Randall was a railroad worker who suffered a tragic accident that would put him out of work. Angry about his disposition, he began brutally taking his frustrations out on his wife, ending in a horrific scene of death. The years following the disturbing event were filled with angry shouting and blood-curdling screams from a woman who wasn’t there.
After a fire left the building in disrepair, the building was replaced with the one you’ll see before you. The spirits, however, never left. Today, tenants of the building report phantom phone calls that have yet to stop. Could it be Virginia reaching out for help? Learn more with Grand Rapids Ghosts.
Grand Murder Plots
Prepare to bear witness to the unbelievable tale of a murder plot that shocked the town of Grand Rapids and spawned one of the most haunted buildings in the area. Walk with Grand Rapids Ghosts to uncover the twister tale of the son-in-law who plotted to kill his wife and her family in an attempt to inherit their money and run off with his mistress.
The soap opera-esque ordeal took place in 1916 when Arthur Waite poisoned his mother-in-law and, when the arsenic wouldn’t take, smothered his father-in-law. Fortunately, his attempt to murder other Peck family members, including his wife, was futile. He would eventually be caught, confess to his crimes, and be executed by electrocution.
The Peck Building serves dual purposes today, with retail shops on the lower floors and condos occupying the top floors. It also still serves as the Peck residence, with Mrs. Peck being the primary resident. Tenants report the eerie sounds of disembodied footsteps and the faint whimpering of a woman who can’t be seen.
Some unfortunate souls have seen the hair-raising sight of Mrs. Peck’s apparition moping around in certain parts of the building. Arthur’s reign of terror may be over, but the ghostly presence of his victims are trapped for eternity, confined to the earthly prison the murderer condemned them to.
Why is Grand Rapids So Haunted?
A City Built on War and Death
The bloodshed that is a part of the nation’s history left a haunting and savage legacy that can be felt in every space affected by war. Get ready for goosebumps as we take you to the sites of bravery and tragedy, memorialized forever with soldiers from the otherwordly realm.
Discover Veterans Memorial Park, one of the city’s oldest parks that serves as a memorial honoring vets from both World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. People visit to pay their respects to the fallen, not realizing that they’re actually still among us.
Learn about the 24th Michigan Infantry, the regiment that lost the most soldiers during the Civil War. Uncover the sightings of the sorrowful silhouettes of fallen soldiers walking in the park. Many claim to see these poor souls kneeling in particular spots, with some believing they’re paying respects to other fallen soldiers. And the sightings don’t stop here, as you’ll discover in Monument Park.
Ghosts of Literary Past
The library is normally a communal place where someone can go for some peace and quiet. In Grand Rapids, the library is a communal place where the living must compete with the dead for some peace. Join us as we take you to Grand Rapids Public Library, one of the most haunted libraries in the nation.
For more than 120 years, resident book lovers have been tormented by the four distinct entities that inhabit the building. Grand Rapids Ghosts introduces you to Mary, the former librarian who can be seen creepily walking along the stacks of books, sometimes rearranging them to her liking.
You’ll also learn about Samuel, a World War I wartime librarian whose spirit can be eerily seen sitting at his old desk in the basement. Sometimes, he’ll even call out your name, giving unsuspecting locals an extra fright. Two other spirits have been sending chills down the spines of those who encounter them; experience them tonight with Grand Rapids Ghosts.
What’s so Special About the Grand Rapids Ghosts Tour?
See a Different, Darker Side of The Furniture City
Grand Rapids is home to a few “claims to fame,” with one being its reputation as “Beer City USA” for its vast amount of breweries. Between visits to the 40+ that the city is famous for, take a break with Grand Rapids Ghosts to see a sobering side of this bloodstained city. Experience the disturbing, demented locations that are doused in death and some shrouded in mystery. And it doesn’t get more mysterious than the Masonic Temple.
Lift the veil of this secret society with Grand Rapids Ghosts as we take you to the clubhouse of the Freemasons, the obscure group whose home base is just as eerie and perplexing. Paranormal investigators have visited the temple, capturing the terrifying sight of a shadow figure ascending the staircase. A haunting melody played by a phantom organ adds even more mystery to this ominous site, and we take you right to it.
Experience the Adrenaline Rush of Exploring Haunted Locations
Grand Rapids has something to offer for everyone, but it doesn’t get more thrilling than a trip through some of the city’s most notoriously haunted locations. Get your blood pumping with spine-tingling tales of murder and mayhem that reverberate throughout the city’s darkest corners, commanding your attention.
At the St. Cecilia Music Center, the agitated spirits of a forgotten time refuse to go quietly into the night. Feel your heart race as you hear stories of the Victorian woman who makes her presence known by creepily appearing in patrons’ seats, claiming ownership of the living. Shadows and orbs have been captured on film, while the hair-raising sounds of disembodied voices have been caught on EVP. If this doesn’t get your adrenaline going, nothing will.
Be a Part of a Growing Ghostly Community
There is no shortage of haunted locations in Grand Rapids, MI. A virtual playground for murderers and serial killers, the city was once a magnet for the most heinous individuals to walk the earth. Their crimes would possess the burgeoning city and breed horrifying hauntings that continue to stalk the living. Tonight, you and a group of fellow ghost enthusiasts may be their next victims.
* This is a walking tour and we do not enter privately-owned buildings or private property *
