5 Places That Go Bump in the Night in Ferndale

Ghosts. Spirits. Specters. Presences.

Those who wonder who or what may be lurking in the dark go to Royal Oak resident John E. L. Tenney, 41. He has been investigating conspiracy theories and haunted houses since he was a teenager.

Tenney—a researcher, archivist, and author—is best known for his "Weird Lecture Series," delivered at public and private schools, universities, private organizations.  

Michigan, where testimony abounds of Big Foot, Red Dwarf and UFO sightings, is a great place to have a weird experience, according to Tenney.

"More boats have disappeared in the Great Lakes than in the Bermuda Triangle," he said. 

So what are the five top five places to have a Twilight Zone moment in Ferndale? Here are the places Tenney gets the most questions about.

The Boos Who of Ferndale

1. Businesses on Woodward near Nine Mile Road

The long history of many businesses in this area, paired with the high foot traffic, make the stretch "very active," Tenney says. Reports include seeing strange figures, doors opening and closing, and seeing people inside businesses in the middle of the night when no one's there.

"That strip right there is really old original storefronts. Maybe it's just the history of it," he said.

But a lot of drinking goes on in that area as well, he points out, so some of the reports could be questionable.

2.  Area near Ferndale High School

Tenney says he gets a lot of reports around the area of Ferndale High School, including on Marshall and Pearson Streets. The site of the school used to be a place called "White's Place" where travelers stayed in the 1800s, Tenney said.

"People see strange figures crossing the road right there and in the surrounding areas," he said.

3. Machpelah Cemetery

"People driving down Woodward see weird smoky shadowy shapes in that cemetery," Tenney says.

4. Late officer

Also in the area of Nine Mile and Woodward, Tenney says he has heard reports of people seeing a police officer that's not really there.

"He's kind of dressed like an old police officer," he says. "There was a police officer killed there back in 1917. He was chasing a burglar behind businesses on Woodward. He was the Deputy Sheriff, Albert Anderson, and he was shot and killed."

5. Train tracks

Tenney says he's had at least a dozen calls of people seeing things on the train tracks at Hilton and Nine Mile Road. One report from 2003 is from someone who got into a car accident after slamming on his brakes to avoid hitting someone on the tracks - "but there was never anyone on the train tracks to begin with," Tenney said.

Paranormal Muster

You can hear Tenney speak at an event called Paranormal Muster at the historic Fort Wayne in Detroit on May 4. Admission is $25 for the all day and night event. Click here for more information.

Tenney has many books available at Amazon.com.

Have you experienced paranormal activity in Ferndale? Tell us about it in the comments.