Haunted Michigan: Kitchie Cemetery in Kenton
The Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan is well worth the trip. A small cemetery in the UP is Kitchie Cemetery. Established in 1809, it was likely the graveyard for a small settlement of the same name. No one named Kitchie is buried there, nor is there any evidence of a family by that name living in the area. Today, it has just 19 grave stones, eleven of which belong to children who died before they turned eight.
Despite being such a small cemetery, Kitchie has more than its fair share of ghosts. Locals whispered for years about how uncomfortable they felt there. Rumors spread about why the cemetery has white crosses marking burial spots rather than traditional head stones. From what I saw online, the white crosses are a more modern addition.
Kitchie Cemetery is now part of the Ottawa National Forest, which spans over more than 900,000 acres in the UP. Though it was quite hard to reach the cemetery for many years, the forest changed things. You can now drive into the forest and hike to the cemetery, though I also heard it's possible to drive right up to it.
Visitors who park close to Kitchie report seeing white and translucent orbs coming close to their vehicles and moving across their windows. Some even took photos that show the orbs. Others heard screams coming from deep inside the forest, which seem to reverberate through the cemetery.
There are plenty of legends behind the cemetery, too. Some believe it was a military cemetery used as the final resting spot for soldiers stationed deep into the woods. Others think it was a group of settlers, which explains why there are so many different names. A growing legend claims Kitchie was used as a burial spot for children who died of a strange disease that swept through the community.
From what I found online, the DSS&A Railroad built a through line in 1888 and a small town grew up around it. Marshall Vanzile established a post office, which was named after him. Somehow, the town adopted the Kitchie name. By the end of 1893, roughly 100 men lived in the town and worked in the nearby lumbar camps. Kitchie featured a few stores, multiple saloons, and a small hotel along with the cemetery. Once the post office closed, the end of the town was near.
You'll find little left of Kitchie other than the cemetery and some ruins. Not only may you hear screams, you may see a ghostly woman, too. Often spotted near the back corner, she seems distraught and upset. Many believe she was the mother of at least one of the children buried here. Others heard what sounds like horses walking by or a chainsaw coming from deep in the woods.
Kitchie Cemetery is near Kenton, Michigan. Let me know if you have any stories or photos you want to share!
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