Munchkin Land: Michigan

Yesterday, I visited the famously haunted Franklin cemetery in southwest Michigan's Berrien County. The cemetery, which is nicknamed "Munchkin Land," dates back to the 1850's complete with a church that was built there in 1854. The location is said to be haunted by quite a few spirits, many of which are children who passed away due to the various disease outbreaks of the Victorian era.

But diseases were not the only cause of death, however. A sinister legend out of the late 1800's states that two girls were said to have been murdered by the preacher of the small church there. It is said that he then buried their bodies in an unmarked grave and went on with business as usual. Eventually, someone must have caught onto his trail because it is alleged that he took his own life in the bell tower of the old church. It's not far fetched to assume that the murderous pastor is somewhere among the spirits who haunt the land.

For years, Franklin Cemetery has had numerous reports of paranormal activity from those brave enough to visit. Apparitions of children, sometimes many children at once, have been seen throughout the older portion of the cemetery. There has even been reports of one headstone glowing a vibrant green in the moonlight. The paranormal activity at this cemetery is so prevalent, most who visit come away with some sort of story to tell. Which leads me to my experience...

I got there early in the afternoon (the cemetery closes at sundown) to take a look around. As soon as I walked through the gate it felt like a spirit (or something) was right on my heels. I snapped a couple of pictures and had a few other gadgets going (like the K2), but nothing was registering really. About 5 minutes into my exploration, my phone turned off. I just bought this thing a couple of weeks ago, not to mention it was fully charged a moment before, but it was not turning back on.

I gave up messing with my phone and continued exploring the cemetery. I again started feeling as if something was right behind me, but nothing ever showed itself. The air was thick, it felt as though something was weighing me down. It's not uncommon while investigating, but usually the angrier the spirit, the heavier it feels to me.

Without my phone, I couldn't film, so I decided to head back to my car. Right before I crossed the gate, I felt a tug on my necklace. It didn't hurt, but it got my attention. I kind of turned, to see what was behind me, but again, nothing was there. I said a quick "bye" because I didn't want a tag along, and moved a bit quicker to my car. As soon as I closed my car door, the phone turned back on, on its own...completely charged.

I looked back over the five pictures I was able to take before the phone turned off, and found that one of the "live photos" had what sounded like a crowd of people talking which I found a bit weird considering no one else was around, and its a pretty secluded location. I'm working on amplifying the sound in the live photo to hear what is said and will be posting it on Instagram (@hauntingsaroundamerica) after I do so.

I will say this about Franklin Cemetery, for a somewhat small cemetery, it has a lot of spirits in it. I look forward to visiting it again and maybe doing a more thorough walkthrough with more equipment. If you decide to visit, remember to be respectful, obey the rules, and be sure to take someone with you, because it can be a bit intimidating on its own....plus you never know if your phone will stop working.