|
The Bruce Mansion is all that’s left of the town of Burnside which was wiped out by fires in 1881. The home was built in 1876 by John G. Bruce as a Victorian style home which he sold sometime after the fires. In the span of 5 years, from 1921-1926, the home went through 6 owners. The house was bought by John Walker in ‘26, in a few months following the purchase Walker’s wife left him and the house went into foreclosure. While out on a drive, Walker ran over a man killing him. In an effort to avoid time in prison he loaded the man’s body into his vehicle and took him back to the mansion and buried him on the mansion grounds. After burying the man, Walker went into the tower and hung himself. After this incident the stories of the mansion being haunted began to spread. The following owners had their own issues from death, financial problems, to supposed hauntings. Some of these hauntings were reported after one of the owners turned the mansion into a bed and breakfast which failed due to the alleged ghosts. Around Halloween in years past, there have been haunting tours hosted at the house by paranormal investigators. The property is now a private residence and have since stopped hosting tours, respect the owners’ wishes and do not trespass. If you have any more information or other suggestions, leave a comment or send us a message! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17hKq9WQnnU&t=164s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17hKq9WQnnU&t=164s
1 Comment
When the train station was built in 1886, the town of Fern was unofficially created. In 1888 the town created a post office. The Fern School House was built in 1906 to serve the lumber town that existed there at that time. It was a two story school, with the second story being used as an attic for storage space, and had two chalkboards, one in the front and one in the back. Two story school houses weren’t very common for this time making it seem as though the town was doing very well and was anticipating growth when it was built. In 1907 the town’s post office closed down and the town began to dissolve due in part to the town’s economy depending a lot on the mill. As the trees became scarce so did jobs and in 1959 the school closed for good. The school house is the only thing left standing of the old town located in Custer, MI. If you have any more information or other suggestions, leave a comment or send us a message! |
