Historic hotspots attract
some interesting guests,
say local authors

By Erin McClary
C & G Staff Writer

Experienced any sudden drops in temperature lately? How about creaky floors or strange shadows in an empty house?

If so, you could be experiencing one of two things: either a jumpy imagination or indicators that paranormal activity is happening around you.

According to “Haunted Travels of Michigan” authors Kathleen “Kat” Tedsen and Beverlee “Bev” Rydel, there could be more to an absent knocker at the front door than you think. In fact, several Michigan paranormal groups have helped them identify some of the state’s most well-known establishments as havens for such activity by capturing energy surges, sightings and electronic voice phenomena on tape.

And what better time to release a book about their findings? Throughout the festive month of October, Tedsen, a Macomb Township resident, and her sister Rydel, of Sterling Heights, will be holding formal presentations at some of the paranormal hotspots featured in their book.

In September, Tedsen and Rydel held a sold-out presentation at Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit. The old fort caught their attention after Civil War re-enactments were sending employees home with nightmares. Tedsen herself, on a hot day at the fort, was there to capture some of the paranormal movement on video.

“There was a rather interesting event that happened up in the barrack,” she said. “It’s really unusual to capture anything on camera.”

But they did, they say, and it turned out to be a rarity in the 30-40 investigations they conducted. Their Fort Wayne experience is just one of 10 evidential ghost stories told firsthand in “Haunted Travels,” which merges with the interactive Web site www.hauntedtravelsMI.com.

The duo will be back in Detroit Oct. 25 to discuss what they’ve experienced while conducting research at one of the city’s most famous establishments, The Whitney restaurant. Rydel described some of the activity they experienced there as “unsettling paranormal behavior.”

“We got knocks responding to several questions … and a picture of a vortex,” which was explained as tornado-like image with an eye or hole at its head. “In the paranormal community, a vortex is said to be a gateway to the other side — a swirling energy.”

Tedsen and Rydel said there’s much more evidence — including an event that occurred in front of their very eyes that directly correlates to the Whitney family history and dates back 100 years — to be discussed during the presentation Oct. 25.

“The Whitney, from our experiences, is one of the most active in paranormal activity,” Rydel said.

The sisters first came up with the idea to investigate paranormal urban legends when conducting research for their travel guide series, “Michigan Vacation Guide.” They said so many owners talked about paranormal happenings at their bed and breakfasts that it was too interesting to look past.

“When we first started researching, we were a bit skeptical,” Tedsen said. “Then we experienced some unusual events that we didn’t anticipate, and began accepting the possibility that there are still things we don’t understand.”

They’ve explained their experiences in a variety of situations, ranging from funny or thought-provoking, to “sometimes chilling.” And their tales are not your run-of-the-mill ghost stories. Tedsen said there’s a plethora of historical research that goes into their investigations, and that’s in addition to investigations conducted by the local paranormal groups they’ve enlisted.

“We’ve worked with some of Michigan’s best paranormal groups,” said Rydel. “The crews are very good at analyzing the evidence, they do a lot of voice recognition to make certain it’s not someone in their groups, and they have extremely good equipment.”

Some equipment used during their ghost hunts include infrared cameras to help crews see things in complete darkness; electric and magnetic fields, which gauge the electricity in a room; and temperature gauges, to measure sudden drops in temperature.

“When there’s spirit activity, it will generate high levels of power/energy,” Tedsen said. “People in the paranormal community believe that activity will drain batteries from a camera … or (they) will actually feel cold in a room. ”

Metro Paranormal Investigations, Highland Ghost Hunters, Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators and Michigan’s Otherside are some of the groups who helped in the research.

Over the weekend Oct. 17-19, Tedsen and Rydel will be at The Terrace Inn in Petoskey, another place featured in “Haunted Travels” — and a place where the sisters got some very interesting EVP, or electronic voice phenomena, which are recordings “believed to be a disembodied voice you traditionally don’t hear with the naked ear,” Rydel said.

“At The Terrace Inn we captured an EVP. We asked ‘Why are you here?’ and it responded with a name,” said Tedsen.

History places the person identified in the EVP as someone who traveled from Europe to the Petoskey area, and then disappeared long ago. Owners of The Terrace Inn have also kept a file of letters from guests over the past 20 years who’ve experienced paranormal activity at the inn.

Tedsen and Rydel will be holding a weekend-long presentation at The Terrace Inn Oct. 17-19. Both the presentations at The Whitney and The Terrace Inn will feature a formal dinner, and registration is necessary.

On Nov. 7, they will meet with the public to promote “Haunted Travels” at an informal book signing at the Indigo Inn in Fremont, yet another place believed to be haunted with what was described as an “evil presence.”

For those who can’t make it to any of the presentations, though, Tedsen and Rydel shared a few “true paranormal activity” indicators: the sudden temperature drops, intense atmosphere changes or the feeling of a heavy presence in the air, and rapidly draining batteries are a few to look out for.

“There have been a few creepy experiences that really surprised Bev and I,” Tedsen said. “When you feel something and actually get a response, you start believing there is something out there.”

But it’s not uncommon, especially around this time of year, for people to become spooked, confusing their own reflections with strange shadows or an abnormal presence.

“Your imagination can do crazy things to you,” said Tedsen.

“Especially in the dark,” Rydel added. “But paranormal groups believe the actual proof is captured evidence.”

The duo is open to conduct private presentations and encourages interested parties to register for The Whitney and Terrace Inn events. For more information, call (586) 228-8780 or e-mail info@mivg.com. To register for the presentations, call The Whitney at (313) 832-5700, the Terrace Inn at (800) 530-9898 and the Indigo Inn at (231) 928-1240.

You can reach Staff Writer Erin McClary at emcclary@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1118.