Not long ago, in preparation for Halloween, I queried users on

for their picks of the most "haunted" places in Michigan. Results ranged from the skeptical — CowboyProgrammer wrote "There are no haunted places in Michigan, because ghosts do not exist," while joshbudde wrote "The only place that's haunted in Michigan is the inside of peoples' heads" — to the speculative.

User swskeptic wrote that the old asylum in Kalamazoo would be a good place to check out, "if you can get in," while user night_on_the_sun suggested checking out an old asylum in Mount Pleasant (user Slangin locates the asylum on the north side of Pickard Road at Harris/Crawford).

User ferb wrote "I was always told the clock tower on CMU's campus was haunted," while iamverbal wrote "I've heard a bunch of people talk about 'Brush Street.' Although, I have no idea where it is. I'm in the Macomb area, though, and I know it's not too far from here."

NecroV4L wrote an interesting response about some public hunting land in Marion Springs, where it's apparently a "Well-known fact that ritual sacrifices occur out there. I have personally seen crucified cats, dogs, etc. Have heard some creepy s*** out there. Keep in mind when you are out there that if you think you are being watched, you have probably been watched all along."

Interesting, but not quite as cryptic, is mpchwm's response about "the old Eloise facility (at the border of Wayne/Westland/Inkster, Michigan Avenue at Merriman)."

"I've read peoples' stories about a cemetery used by the Eloise complex that is supposedly haunted, on Henry Ruff just south of Michigan Avenue, right across from Demby Terrace, the housing projects formerly referred to Little Saigon," mpchwm wrote.

Seven Gables Road in Dansville

One of the more interesting suggestions came from Portablewalrus, who recommended checking out Seven Gables Road in Dansville, south of Lansing (a place which, in addition to being haunted, he or she noted, is also a good spot to find morel mushrooms).

A quick search online will produce a number of stories about the spot from writers who claim to have had personal experiences on the road. It even has a dedicated

and

.

According to

of the road's haunted history, "a long time ago" a witch put a curse on the road. If you were out there and you heard someone scream, the last one to jump over a certain fence would die. (Presumably if you heard someone scream and you were alone on the wrong side of the fence, you were out of luck.)

The paragraph at the end of the post in question sums up the rest:

"At the end of Seven Gables Road there is a gate that leads to a old home said to have been burned down with the family of six hung by the gables of the house. The killer then killed himself and set fire to the house."

Another person writes about his or her

with a group when he or she was 11 years old, claiming a red light was seen floating in the air and that they heard inexplicable mumbling. Others in the group claimed to have seen "a lady in a white dress with what looked like blood on it, and she told them to go back and leave."

Other experiences documented at the spot include a young girl said to be playing in the trees; a person who was "choked by a force unseen"; and a number of drownings "due to the hidden lake that is on the way to the ruins of the home."

Blood Road in Metamora

Another haunted road suggestion came from DonSlice, who noted that Blood Road in Metamora has "some pretty spooky stories attached to it," an assertion proved correct by another quick Internet search.

In just a

in one online forum, for instance, Blood Road is said to have been the sight where: a man murdered his wife and dumped her body; puddles of water turn red and appear to be blood; and a satanic cult performed "ceremonies, murders and sacrifices," leaving pools of blood from their victims in the gravel.

connects the road to rumors that "witches and devil worshipers" migrated to the state during the witch trials in the 1600s, and claims to have driven on the road as it was covered in a thick "blood-like substance" while a fire burned in the distance, "with people in white robes standing around it chanting."

Other reports involve people being chased by large black shadows or a truck with bright lights that disappears in the middle of the road.

The witchy wolves of the Omer Plains

An apparently well-known haunt was submitted by Teabrat, who grew up in the area said to be frequented by the "witchy wolves" of the Omer Plains, north of Saginaw Bay. It's a "Scary place to drive through," Teabrat noted, "and according to several members of my family, they have been chased by the wolves."

Legend says the witchy wolves are dog/wolf spirits that protect the spirits of Chippewa warriors, and somehow the legend has become associated with the Omer Plains (it's even inspired a

that next year starts at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21).

who grew up in the area claims there are Native American burial grounds in the area, which, if true, could explain the connection.

The writer in question states that the legend was spread by high school kids, who've been partying in the area since as early as the 1960s. When in elementary school picking apples for deer feed, the writer saw "what I thought was a pack of dogs cross the road at the top of the hill (we lived in a river valley right on the Rifle River). While it was quite far away, the 'dogs' looked large and appeared to be just shadows."

The experience was frightening, especially since the "shadows" crossed in the area supposedly haunted by the witchy wolves, but the writer had pretty much forgotten about it till 15 years or so later, when she and her boyfriend were driving from her parents' house to Bay City and her boyfriend told her he saw the same type of shadows in same area.

, this one a pastor, investigated the site at night and felt like he and his companion were being watched. They also had "intense feelings like something was coming toward us. ... At one point the feeling became so intense I had to quote scripture at whatever spirit was trying to get close to us." He claims to have secured recordings of "entities swearing and cursing at us," including one saying "Get out!"

Yet

reports that the feeling of being watched has been accompanied by screams or a fowl smell. Some witnesses have seen "large eyes all around and creatures that stand taller than cars, but only at night." Still others report seeing "a small yeti-type creature."

Share your stories

These are just a handful of the great stories of haunted locations in Michigan that tend to bob to the surface of our collective consciousness this time of year, as the days get shorter, the nights get longer and store shelves get heavier with Halloween candy and tacky decorations. But we want more.

Share your stories of Michigan haunts and the haunted in the comments section below or email me at

.

Also see "The ghosts of Henderson Castle: Historical home is 'active,' paranormal enthusiasts say."

Simon A. Thalmann is the online editor for Booth Features.