Haunted Michigan: State Capitol Building in Lansing

 

State Capitol Building in Lansing, Michigan - Photo Courtesy of CC BY-SA 3.0

What is it about government buildings that fill us with such dread? Maybe some of us fear what happens when we step inside or we worry that we'll never get out. Those feelings only intensify among some who visit the State Capitol Building in Lansing, Michigan.

It's not surprising that the State Capitol Building wasn't actually the first in Michigan. The first version, known as the Territorial Courthouse, arrived on the scene long before Michigan became a state. Heck, this was not long after Michigan waged a war with Ohio over Toledo of all things. Built in 1832, it went out of use in 1847 due to the construction of the new State Capitol. That building survived until construction began on the current building in the 1870s. Despite how gorgeous the building is, many tell stories about its resident spirits.

You don't have to go far to find someone with a story about what they experienced here. Some stories surround the Civil War artifacts housed inside. Though Michigan was far from the south, the state sent many of its young men to fight. They returned with souvenirs of the battlefields, some of which are on display. I've heard rumors that some of the soldiers who originally owned those souvenirs now roam the halls.

One popular story concerns a young man who died there in the 1880s, not long after the State Capitol Building opened. Legend claims he was fooling around on the Grand Staircase. Seeing the audience who gathered around him, he attempted to jump across the railings. It took just one slip for him to fall to his death.

Another ghost dates back to a different era. A maintenance worker was on the property when he attempted to take the elevator from one floor to the next, not knowing that the elevator didn't work. Somehow – and no one seems to know why – he was electrocuted in the elevator.

If the maintenance worker still haunts the building, he's not alone because there's another worker on hand to keep him company. In the 1990s, the State Capitol Building needed a fresh coat of paint. Officials hired a painting crew who showed up on the scene with their tools and equipment. While standing on the lift and working on the rotunda, the lift broke and sent the man crashing to the ground. Some even claim he died mere feet from where the first death occurred. Topping it all off is the story of a roofer who also slipped and fell to his death.

Now on to the haunted stories!

First up are the cold spots. While Michigan is known to have some cold winters, which I can personally attest to, you don't expect to feel cold spots in the middle of summer. Yet many visitors claim to feel areas of the State Capitol Building that feel colder than anywhere else. Others report a cool wind that comes from nowhere and almost caresses their skin. Locals are torn between who causes the cold winds and spots, but they usually point to the roofer or one of the maintenance workers.

It's likely not the ghost of the painter because he doesn't have a problem showing himself. Though he only died during the 1990s, those who spotted him noticed he looked different because he wore older clothing. Still clad in his trusty work uniform, the man walks around as if still on the job. Some visitors even asked if the building was in the midst of construction because he looked so real to them.

While I didn't find as many haunted tales about the State Capitol Building, it looks like a lot of people claim it's haunted. Let me know in a comment if you have any stories to share!