Maybe all lighthouses are haunted…I don’t know. But Michigan’s Big Bay Point Lighthouse, which was converted into a B&B in 1986, definitely has a ghost or two hanging around. My wife and I can attest to that! Thirty-one years ago Bonita and I stayed there on a trip to Upper Michigan…a place where residents are known as ‘Yoopers’ (from ‘UP-ers’) rather than ‘Michiganders.’ The B&B looms above a 40-foot cliff overlooking the rocky shore of Lake Superior. Built in 1896, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places, still operates as a lighthouse, and offers 360-degree views of landscape and lake. From the top of the 60-foot tower we experienced some of the most dramatic and magnificent sunsets of our lives and reveled in the ghost stories associated with the lighthouse as the sun dipped into Lake Superior.
“Tower Sunset at Big Bay Lighthouse” by RDEnochs DESIGN
It was June of 1990 when we drove north on Route 75 across the 5-mile long Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We entered a land of lumberjacks where tall tales of the fabled larger-than-life Paul Bunyan and his sidekick, Babe, the Big Blue Ox, still dominated the folklore of the region. It’s also the home of traditional ‘pasties’ (‘PASS-tees’), a sort of meat turnover/pastry not to be confused with strippers’ ‘pasties’ (‘PAY-steeze’), and the location of the 1952 Big Bay murder/trial and subsequent filming of Otto Preminger’s 1959 film, “Anatomy of a Murder.”
As our car drew closer to our final destination, we kept wondering if we would ever reach the B&B. At that time, there were no iPhones with a Google Maps app and no GPS in our rental car…just a handy road map and a travel guide for directions. The travel guide instructions simply stated: “Go through the town of Big Bay and follow the signs that say ‘Lighthouse’” which was kind of like following the yellow brick road to Oz. It was clear that we were no longer in Kansas. We ended up on Lighthouse Road which eventually led to the two-story, late Victorian-style B&B (provided you stayed right at the fork in the road).
That day we were greeted by Norman “Buck” Gotschall and his wife, Marilyn, the owners of the 94-year-old brick lighthouse at the time. They gave us the official tour and shared some of the lighthouse’s history. It had operated with an active keeper until 1941 when the beacon was automated and had been a private residence since 1961. Adjacent to the kitchen was a dining room featuring a long, family-style table. A large living room was furnished with a working fireplace, several couches and reading materials with additional history about the lighthouse. The second floor housed guest rooms and a cozy library with a double window overlooking the lake. From the library there were two eerie flights of spiral stairs leading to the tower where a beacon beams daily and visiting guests can view extraordinary sunsets and sunrises.
A resident ghost, the original red-haired keeper named William Prior, still haunts the lighthouse and roams the grounds. Prior disappeared into the woods near the lighthouse in June of 1901 after becoming depressed and despondent over the death of his son, who had been an assistant keeper for his father. William’s body was discovered over a year later hanging from a tree, most likely a suicide. Although Bonita and I were expecting lights turning off and on, faucets turning on and things going bump in the night, we never woke up to the lighthouse keeper at the foot of our bed or saw his reflection in the mirrors as some guests had experienced through the years. But we did hear a few unexplained noises echoing in our room during the night, perhaps disembodied footsteps making their way across the wooden floor. It must have been the keeper! I’m so glad we had not yet seen the 2019 film, “The Lighthouse,” or we may have been a little less cavalier about our stay there that summer.
“The Lighthouse” Poster by RDEnochs DESIGN
Although the main goal of our trip was to stay at the B&B, we had also planned to visit the nearby community of Big Bay where Preminger filmed “Anatomy of a Murder,” a courtroom drama based on a 1952 murder that took place at the Lumberjack Tavern. In the 1950’s, before becoming a private residence, the Big Bay Point Lighthouse and land were leased to the U.S. Army, and the soldiers lived in the meadow and woods to the west of the lighthouse. One of the soldiers stationed at the lighthouse, Lt. Coleman A. Peterson, entered the Lumberjack Tavern where he shot and killed the owner, Maurice Chenoweth, for raping his wife. Ultimately, Lt. Peterson was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Some scenes were filmed in the Thunder Bay Inn, just one block from the Lumberjack Tavern.
“Anatomy of a Murder” Collage by RDEnochs DESIGN
Preminger’s classic film, starring James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O’Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant, and George C. Scott, was based on the novel of the same name written by John D. Voelker, who had served as defense attorney during the trial. The film received seven Oscar nominations including Best Actor (James Stewart), Best Supporting Actor (Arthur O’Connell), Best Supporting Actor (George C. Scott), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Sam Leavitt), Best Film Editing (Louis R. Loeffler), Best Picture (Otto Preminger), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Wendell Mayes). The jazz score of the soundtrack was composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
Bonita and I purchased two VHS tapes of the movie to take home (Bonita was living in Missouri at the time and wanted her own copy). The movie is very long and we tried to watch it on two occasions but fell asleep both times. Maybe we should give it another try 21st century style by streaming it.
“Anatomy of a Murder” Poster by RDEnochs DESIGN
As I created a 2021 poster to commemorate the 62nd anniversary of “Anatomy of a Murder,” I reminisced about our adventure in Upper Michigan where the true story behind the 1959 film played out. It’s a secluded area…a sort of scenic wilderness wonderland with undertones of mystery, madness, and murder, as well as a mischievous ghost who still haunts a 125-year-old isolated lighthouse. And if you asked my takeaway from the trip? My response would be: “I do believe…I do believe…I do believe in GHOSTS!”