Discover the haunted history of Grand Rapids, Michigan, complete with ghostly hotel guests, urban legends, and true stories of Grand Rapids spine-chilling past. Come nose around in the creepier corners of the Grand Rapids of yesteryear. Discover why Hell's Bridge persists as such an oft-told urban legend and what horrific history earned Heritage Hill the title of Michigan's most haunted neighborhood. Mingle with the spooky inhabitants of the Phillips Mansion, Holmdene Manor, San Chez Restaurant and St. Cecilia Music Center. Meet the guests who never quite checked out of the Amway Grand. Read the true stories behind the Michigan Bell Building and the Ada Witch Legend. Nicole Bray, Robert Du Shane and Julie Rathsack illuminate the shadows of local sites you thought you knew. This book is amazing. The research unmatched even among text books. Has to be the best book on the topic. ---Stephen Micheal I own over 200 books on hauntings and ghosts. This is BY FAR my absolute favorite! It didn't just rehash the same stories that you'll find in every other haunted Michigan book. It dug into the history of each story and added so many more details that I did not know about. I saw myself feeling educated about the city that I live in and wanting to know more. I can only hope second book is in the works. Kudos to the authors! I couldn't put it down! ---Vee Schnider Made me rethink the paranormal genre. I now want to be a haunted historian too. ---Drake Stadio This was one of the best paranormal books I have ever read, and I have read MANY of them. The historic back-stories that fed the modern paranormal activity was a brilliantly executed blend of history and ghosts. I look forward to reading more from these authors. --- Dan H Come nose around in the creepier corners of the Grand Rapids of yesteryear. Discover why Hell's Bridge persists as such an oft-told urban legend and what horrific history earned Heritage Hill the title of Michigan's most haunted neighborhood. Mingle with the spooky inhabitants of the Phillips Mansion, Holmdene Manor, San Chez Restaurant and St. Cecilia Music Center. Meet the guests who never quite checked out of the Amway Grand. Read the true stories behind the Michigan Bell Building and the Ada Witch Legend. Nicole Bray, Robert Du Shane and Julie Rathsack illuminate the shadows of local sites you thought you knew. Author and haunted historian Nicole Bray co-owns Haunted History of Kalamazoo Tours. She founded the West Michigan Ghost Hunters Society and co-authored The Paranormal Michigan Book Series . Robert Du Shane is a theologian, historian and owner of  WPAR-DB , a 24-hour paranormal talk radio network, as well as the host of their flagship show WPARanormal Talk Radio.  He co-wrote The Paranormal Michigan Book Series  and co-owns Haunted History of Kalamazoo Tours. Julie Rathsack is the research director of the West Michigan Ghost Hunters Society, and has been doing paranormal investigations for over a decade. She is currently working on her second book which will chronicle hauntings in Grand Rapids' Heritage Hill's area. Ghosts of Grand Rapids By Nicole Bray, Robert Du Shane, Julie Rathsack The History Press Copyright © 2013 Nicole Bray, Reverend Robert Du Shane and Julie Rathsack All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-62619-205-8 Contents Acknowledgements, Introduction, 1. Brief History of Grand Rapids, 2. Grand Rapids' Best-Known Ghost Story, 3. Kent County's Forgotten Citizens, 4. Urban Legends, 5. Phillips Mansion, 6. Spookiest Neighborhood in Grand Rapids, 7. Haunted Downtown District, 8. Saint Cecilia Music Center, 9. Spirited Residents, 10. Holmdene Manor, 11. Strange Algoma Township, 12. Spirits of a Different Kind, 13. Lethal Lovers, Bibliography, About the Authors, CHAPTER 1 BRIEF HISTORY OF GRAND RAPIDS In order to appreciate the haunted side of Grand Rapids, it helps to know just what the land has been through. Grand Rapids has been home to many different people throughout its history. Settlers have long been drawn to the moderate climate, rich soil and vast supply of fresh water. The first people to settle in this area laid their roots over ten thousand years ago. These settlers were a migratory people who followed the roaming mastodons and mammoths at the end of the last ice age. As the glaciers melted away, the climate started to become more inhabitable. The ice gave way to vast forests containing edible plants, small game and an abundance of fish. Over 2,500 years ago, the Grand River Valley was occupied by Native Americans known to historians simply as the Mound Builder Indians because of the large mounds they left wherever they settled. The tribe had migrated to the area from the Mississippi River Valley. They traveled through Illinois and settled in Michigan as far north as the Muskegon River. The Mound Builders were a peaceful tribe and survived almost entirely by cultivating the land. Their presence is still evident t