By Emma Seiler 16′ and Luke Woltanski ’16 Staff Writers

From figures under white sheets, to glowing orbs of light, to invisible forces causing mayhem, ghost stories have been a source of entertainment for thousands of years.

Whether it be  sightings of the spirits of ancient kings and queens, or recent movies such as Paranormal Activity or The Conjuring, these stories are deeply embedded into the fabric of our culture.  

Although we may not have the ghost of Abraham Lincoln drifting around the streets of Plainwell, we do have our fair share of rumors and sightings that could put Plainwell (and surrounding area) on the map of the afterlife.

One location that claims to be haunted is the locally infamous Sam’s Joint. We’ll be honest, that place is creepy as all get out.

People passing by have claimed to see lights on inside, people in the windows, and even hear disembodied voices in the building. There’s ample evidence to back it too:

The joint itself used to be one of the legs of the underground railroad, and many people were shuffled through the basement yearly – some not making it alive. A man also reportedly hung himself in the attic of the building, and several car accidents also are said to have left more ghosts to haunt the area.

The Kalamazoo Michigan Paranormal Investigators (KMPI) actually had an official investigation of the building, with some exciting results. Several EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) sessions yielded voices talking about car crashes, along with former employees of the joint. At one point, a voice told the investigators to ‘die’ and to ‘pray.’

Along with voices, the KMPI members also felt severe temperature swings in different

parts of the restaurant, and even saw strange floating orbs going from some stairs to a window. It could have been ruled out as noise and lights by traffic outside, but there was none that night.

Sam’s Joint, thankfully, is closed now, and very few people can get in, except with permission from the owner. However, there is one place in Plainwell that has reported paranormal occurrences that anyone can get into: The Old Mill.

Originally called Eesley Mill, It is now a local favorite for food, beer, and banquets.  Rumor has it that The Old Mill is haunted, so we went to talk to someone with first hand experience. Angie Galovan, the General Manager for the banquet hall, said that the ghosts are certainly there.

“We know of three ghosts that ‘live’ here, and they aren’t exactly the shy type,” Galovan said. “There is William who will often walk up and down the halls: he was associated with the actual building of the mill.”

Several of the servers, cooks, and members of management have heard William walking around the building when no one is there.

“There’s also a teen who is in the basement. He likes to whistle to get people’s attention. Several mediums came in and found that he was thought of as a thief, but stresses that he actually wasn’t ” said Galovan.

Galovan has heard this ghost whistle, both down in the basement, and upstairs at one point.

“Then, there’s Maggie who was a woman of a rather risqué trade. I think I ought to keep it school appropriate! She is a bit of a wanderer, although she likes to hang around the bar, she is just kind of around the mill. We think that she might come from over at Hillside Cemetery,” Galovan said.

Walking around the mill, knowing that there are ghosts around doesn’t ruin the home-town comfortability of the restaurant. The staff all knows about the ghosts, but they just seem to see them as another customer of the mill, coming in to have a good time, and see some people.

“It’s actually almost comforting to know that they’re there,” said Galovan. “None of them have ever hurt any of us, or even acted threatening. They just like to play a practical joke every once in awhile (like locking one of the waitresses downstairs), and wander around the place.”

If anyone is afraid of ghosts, and wants to go to the Old Mill, we stress that there’s no need to worry. If the ghosts ever approach anyone, the worst they can do is make a sound on the wood floors, or even whistle to get your attention.

After talking to Galovan, we went over to the Hillside Cemetery to see if we could find Maggie’s grave. After looking for a half hour, we came to a small limestone, and unmarked, grave. It was worn from years of punishment by the elements, and it was surrounded by graves from the early to mid 1900’s. It was truly creepy, but we could not know for sure whether this was Maggie’s grave or not.

There is a distinct possibility that there are even more ghosts roaming around Plainwell, not just in Sam’s Joint or the Old Mill. They could be friendly and just want to keep their distance, or they might be rather vengeful, and try and tell you to ‘die,’ or to ‘go away.’

If you believe in ghosts or don’t, there is no denying that the stories that come along with them can stick with you forever.