HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A Queen Anne mansion in Heritage Hill where dentist Arthur Waite poisoned his in-laws with arsenic in 1916, setting off one of the era's most sensational murder trials
56 Madison Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Private residence exterior viewable from public sidewalk; no admission. Ghost tours that include this stop charge separately.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Public sidewalk in Heritage Hill residential neighborhood; flat and paved
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1890 · Site of the 1916 Arthur Waite Arsenic Murders · John and Hannah Peck Poisoning Case · One of America's Most-Publicized Murder Trials of the 1910s
The Peck Building — a Queen Anne mansion in Grand Rapids' Heritage Hill historic district — is associated with one of Michigan's most extensively documented poisoning cases. John E. Peck, a prosperous Grand Rapids businessman, and his wife Hannah Peck were both poisoned with arsenic in 1916 by their son-in-law, Arthur Warren Waite.
Waite was a dentist who had married Clara Peck, the Pecks' daughter. After Hannah Peck died in January 1916, and John Peck died in March, investigators grew suspicious when Waite was found to have taken out substantial life insurance policies on both. Toxicological examination confirmed arsenic poisoning. Waite had been systematically poisoning his father-in-law with bacteria and arsenic over an extended period, also attempting to accelerate Hannah's death through various means.
The trial, held in New York where Waite had been arrested, drew national press coverage. Waite was convicted of murder in the first degree and executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison on May 24, 1917. The case is documented in detail by Wikipedia's article on the murders, which confirms the names, dates, and manner of death based on court records and contemporaneous newspaper accounts.
The Grand Rapids mansion where John and Hannah Peck lived — and where the poisoning campaign is believed to have been carried out — sits in Heritage Hill. It remains a private residence and is known locally as the Peck Building or Arsenic Murder Mansion.
Sources
The paranormal accounts associated with the Peck Building center on the two confirmed victims of the 1916 poisoning: John E. Peck and Hannah Peck. Current and former occupants have reported seeing a couple in period clothing — consistent with the 1910s — in the home's interior. The figures are described as non-threatening but persistent.
US Ghost Adventures, which includes the Peck Building as a named stop on its Grand Rapids ghost tour circuit, documents the apparition accounts alongside the historical poisoning case. The tour stop provides the full context of the Waite murders before discussing paranormal reports, treating the historical record as the primary subject.
The building's notoriety locally comes primarily from its documented murder history rather than from dramatic paranormal incidents — the house appeared on the market in relatively recent years, and news coverage of the sale specifically referenced the arsenic murder case as part of the property's history. Whatever is reported inside the house remains private to its occupants.
Notable Entities
The Peck Building, a Queen Anne mansion in Grand Rapids' Heritage Hill historic district, can be viewed from the public sidewalk. It is a featured stop on Grand Rapids ghost tour circuits covering the Heritage Hill neighborhood.
US Ghost Adventures and other Grand Rapids tour operators include the Peck Building in their Heritage Hill routes, providing the documented history of the 1916 arsenic murders and subsequent paranormal reports.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Grand Rapids, MI
The 1924 Michigan Bell Building occupies the site of the Judd-White House mansion, where in 1910 Warren Randall allegedly attacked his wife Virginia Judd-Randall before taking his own life. The incident drew significant press coverage and the location has carried local reputation as one of Grand Rapids' most haunted addresses ever since.
Macon, GA
Anjette Donovan Lyles operated Anjette's Restaurant at 524 Mulberry Street in Macon, serving the city's business community throughout the 1950s. Between 1952 and 1958 she poisoned four family members with arsenic — two husbands, a mother-in-law, and her daughter Marcia, age nine. Her 1958 trial was called the most publicized criminal case in 20th-century Macon.
Chicago, IL
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