Wayne County holds five of Michigan's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, five Wayne County places rank among Michigan's ten most haunted in HauntBound's 2026 index, including Detroit's Two Way Inn at #1. The index ranks 191 Michigan sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

The Two Way Inn ranks #1. Colonel Philetus Norris, later the second superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, built it in 1876 as a general store. Four separate published accounts describe activity there, retold in eight later publications, including WDET's 2025 CuriosiD feature. Patrons describe a figure called the Cowboy, identified by his wide-brimmed hat as Norris, and a Lady in White on the stairs. Staff call it spirited rather than haunted.

The Whitney ranks #2. Lumber baron David Whitney Jr. built the 52-room Woodward Avenue mansion in 1894 and died there in 1900. Four separate published accounts describe activity there. Staff describe a sobbing woman near a third-floor restroom and shadow figures in the Ghost Bar, featured in a Detroit PBS investigation. Retellings name her Flora Whitney, though Flora died in 1882, before the house was built.

Also in the top ten: the Redford Theatre (#5), Historic Fort Wayne (#6) and Eloise Asylum (#10), the state's most famous haunted site.

Outside Wayne County, Fort Mackinac ranks highest, at #3.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Two Way Inn, 17897 Mt. Elliott St., is a bar open Tuesday through Saturday.The Whitney, 4421 Woodward Ave., is a restaurant.Redford Theatre, 17360 Lahser Rd., holds screenings Friday through Sunday in season.Historic Fort Wayne, 6325 W. Jefferson Ave., is open for self-guided visits through October.Eloise Asylum, 30712 Michigan Ave., Westland, offers tours.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/michigan/The fact sheet, with Detroit numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/michigan/Photos: Redford Theatre and Eloise Asylum, on the fact sheet.Venue contact: 2wayinn.com and thewhitney.comA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

###