Spooky, Scary! The Mysterious Case of Michigan’s Moving Gravestones

Haunted, much? We Michiganders know the Mitten is a magical place. Heck, Colon, MI is even considered the "Magic Capital of the World"! But where do you draw the line between enchanting and haunted?

I recently became aware of a bizarre phenomenon that's happening in several cemeteries across Michigan: Why are our gravestones mysteriously moving?

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The Witches Ball

Located in a small cemetery in Memphis, MI this spherical gravestone reportedly weighs nearly 3,000 pounds and has been "moving" since 1903. The grave belongs to a man named Eli Miller and what makes this haunting so perplexing is that neither Eli nor any of his family members are purported to have ties to the occult.

Legend claims the ball has moved in all directions at one time or another, and those who gaze into it long enough begin to see spirits and apparitions. Perhaps it is the woods located next to the gravestone that are haunted, as locals claim to hear blood-curdling screams from out of nowhere.

Experts have suggested it is the change in temperatures that can be blamed for the ball's rotation, but locals claim the ball is too heavy to move by hand which makes the temperature theory unlikely. The gravestone has such an infamous reputation that it was even featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!. What do YOU believe is the cause for this mysterious rotation?

McManus Gravesite

In a small cemetery near Petoskey sits the grave of Melinda McManus. Young Melinda passed away unexpectedly at 32 years young and to make her grave the family commissioned a gray headstone with a large granite ball sitting on top. The granite sphere is about 2 feet in diameter and is no doubt heavy, but locals claim the ball has moved at least twice since its installation.

A large pin keeps the ball in place, but each time the ball has moved, the pin has snapped. The cemetery's superintendent claims to have ruled out human manpower as the ball is too heavy and too high. What could possibly be the cause? It's unknown whether temperature change is to blame, similar to the Witches Ball, or perhaps it is something otherworldly. We may never know...