Are There Ghosts in the Museum?

The Archives' "Obituary Room" lies apart from the main archives area, where visitors stop by with questions, chat with the Archives helpers, and quietly peruse items on the big public conference table.

Ducking under the low brick arch, so low it regularly whacks one 6'5" former wrestler and Archives helper, the explorer of the Obituary Room enters a silent chamber. One obituary file silently slides open to reveal hundreds of index cards. Historians from decades past have helped amass these tiny records of former Ypsilantians.

"You'll learn, as you look at these cards, who made mistakes and who cut corners," advised Archives helper J., as I began adding new obituary cards today. Some cards show spidery pencil handwriting. Others have yellowed newspaper clippings glued on. Others have ambiguous old handwriting leaving the visitor wondering, "is that a W...or a D...?"
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Absorbed in delving through the thousands of tiny cards, the visitor senses that the room gets even quieter than silence. The light looks oddly harsh. The opened drawer of cards suddenly seems like a crowd at a party, with each card with something to say. The temperature drops. In the corner of your eye--er, what was that?

Are there ghosts in the museum?

Three paranormal groups have investigated the Museum and Archives. Here is a recent report from the South Lyon Paranormal Society. Transcript below (click on image for larger version).

"We came on the 27th of March. We came at 9 p.m. and investigated until around 1 a.m. We had some very interesting experiences while we are there. Jennifer who is the historian and ghost hunter, saw a woman for a quick second by the piano in the parlor. Cam who is a ghost hunter heard a knock on the attic door and heard the door open a bit behind him. However, these are just personal experiences and we have only our stories to prove these things ever happened. However we did get some photographs with some interesting things in them.

"One of the best ones was when we were up in the attic looking down the stairs at the open door. In the open door are two white balls, which we believe are orbs. We sometime say the balls of light are not those; however there was a picture taken after the white balls were gone, when it is dust it stays around to the next picture.

"We had a fun time at the museum and would love to come back. On us saying it is haunted or not, we believe that it might be. We didn't get any sounds, however hte pictures say a lot. But who ever is here was very shy when we were there.

"They were around but stayed one step ahead of us.

"Thank you,

"South Lyon Paranormal Society."

The Ypsilanti Museum Attic

If the Ypsilanti Museum is "the city's attic," what is the Museum's own attic?

Unsettling.

"I was going up here the other day," Archives helper J. told me as we rested, winded, on the third floor before ascending to the attic. "I got up there, and I could have sworn I heard something. I said, 'Hello?'" And I swear, clear as day, I heard a voice from the corner say, "Hello."

J. related this story just as my foot had touched the first step of the stairway leading up to the attic. My foot froze on the stair. Just the previous week a team of ghosthunters had combed the Museum with electronica and flashlights. They'd got a recording that two Archives helpers verified they'd later heard on tape--the voice of a man saying "Help me."

One helper emailed me later to say,

Yes, the one group did record something that sounds like a male voice saying "Help me." We do not know who it could be, but a Robert Burns died in the house, January 12, 1921. the most activity occurred when his name was used. I did feel two cold spots during the investigation, one in the second floor dress room, and the other at the table in the archives room. Whatever it was seemed to feel more comfortable near me than with the others. The presence seemed more male than female. We may have more than one ghost in the house. When two of the investigators walked through the kitchen their k-2 device lit up. They asked if the ghost wanted to talk to them, once for no and twice for yes. The device lit up once. So they left.

I had to stop in at the archives the next day, or I might never have been able to enter the building again.