Haunted Michigan: Anderson High School in Southgate

 

Anderson High School - Photo from Southgate Community Schools Website

Southgate is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, not far from Detroit. Though settlers lived in the area during the late 18^th century, it didn't officially become a city until the 1950s. To meet the needs of local students, Southgate established two high schools: Schafer High School and Southgate High School. In 1982, two of the main districts formed a new combined district and built Southgate Anderson High School. Named after Thomas J. Anderson who was the town's first mayor, the school goes by its official name and the shorter Anderson High School name.

Anderson High School has two reportedly haunted sites. First is the school's swimming pool. Legend says a male student drowned in the pool. Not long after the pool opened, he decided to stay late and swim a few extra laps. No one knows what happened to him, but his parents called the police when he didn't come home from school. Officers arrived to find his body floating in the water.

Another version claims the young man didn't know how to swim. His classmates teased him and joked about his skills. After an especially bad bout of teasing, he grew tired of the taunts and jumped into the water. The boy drowned while everyone watched. In a different version of the story, the young man's bully chased him through the halls before throwing him in the pool.

He now allegedly stays close to the pool and tries to warn people away. Students claim he stands by the side of the pool and only appears when someone tries to swim alone. A few students walked into the pool room and spotted a body in the water, floating face down. By the time they found a teacher and returned, all they saw was calm water.

Students also talk about a young woman in an elegant blue dress who haunts Anderson High School. She was a popular student and picked by her classmates as a member of the Homecoming Court. Though she looked forward to the big dance, she died in an accident on her way there. The former student now shows up during the Homecoming Parade to make her presence known. Many claim to feel a heavy presence when the senior float passes by and a sensation as if someone they cannot see is watching them.

The Anderson High School Auditorium is also haunted. Years ago, a female student was excited when she got a big role in the latest play. She couldn't stop talking about the show and how much fun she would have acting in front of everyone. During a rehearsal, she lost her balance while standing on the catwalk and plummeted to the stage, dying on the spot.

Legend says all of the actors decided to sign a wall near the switchboard. When they returned the next day, her signature was still there but now in bright red as if she signed her name in blood. While this sounds like just another Michigan urban legend, students have odd experiences in the school's auditorium. They claim to feel someone watching them and often find props in new places. Several students also saw a woman they didn't recognize standing on the catwalk who disappeared.

I cannot say if Southgate Anderson High School is haunted, but let me know what you think. The high school is at 15475 Leroy Street in Southgate, Michigan.