In this season of shifting light and long shadows, we bring you a conversation with local paranormal researcher Julie Rathsack, who has made it her mission to investigate what might be stirring behind closed doors in Grand Rapids homes—historic and otherwise. Whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, or just someone curious about the stories tied to our city’s older residences, Rathsack offers insight into how hauntings happen, where they tend to linger, and what to do if you suspect something otherworldly might be cohabiting with you.
This might not be your typical home improvement story—but it just might help explain why your keys keep vanishing.
Rathsack knows all about our Grand Rapids ghosts: she’s met them, researched them, led ghost tours, and written about them. Her book A Haunted History of Grand Rapids came out in 2024 and her latest, The Ghostly Tales of Grand Rapids written for children, in May of this year.
“I started collecting ghost stories at about age 17, but in my 40s I started loving the history more,” said Rathsack, who lives in Plainfield Township. Her newest book for adults offers the history of the haunted place first, followed by the ghost story.
There’s the murder/suicide in front of The Fulton, a boardinghouse at 118-120 Fulton Street, which is now MeXo Tequila & Mezcal Bar. It appears that Frank Hibben Stout haunts both the Fulton Street location where he murdered Ada Mann and another house where he once lived.
Abram Pike is said to appear at his former home, Pike House on Fulton Street. A young boy talks to guests at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum. The Sweet House, former home to the Women’s City Club, has visits from Martin and Desdemona Sweet, who lived there for years.
For Rathsack, whose day job is manager of business intelligence at Acosta Sales and Marketing, such events are all in a night’s work. She owns Lifted Veil Paranormal, a business that researches and investigates paranormal events. She focuses on pre-1950 ghosts, and adds that new buildings can be haunted because they sit on land that is haunted.
“It can be very boring as we sit and wait, and it can be freaky—we’re on edge because stuff is moving all the time. We have weird, unexplainable things happen,” she said.
She and her team use a spirit box—known as an SLS Detector—that detects words or sounds from the entity. She wears headphones to hear the static and any words that break through.
Such as “Weaver” when recently investigating DeCaydence Vintage at 71 Division Ave. S, located next door to Rumors Night Club. The businesses sit on the site of the former Kalamazoo Hotel, where Ed Weaver was the manager. Employees have seen a little girl sitting on a keg and singing “Ring Around the Rosy” in the basement.
“It’s terrifying when I see something, but five minutes later I think it’s cool,” said Rathsack. “I feel like I attract ghosts.”
Julie Rathsack suggests several ways to discern if there might be paranormal activity around you.
- Follow your senses– the air feels heavy, doesn’t feel quite right, or the energy is different than normal.
- Look out for pranks—items are missing, but turn up later in the exact spot they were before.
- Look for movement—out of the corner of your eyes, shadows, random movements.
- Have an icky feeling—get out if you feel like you shouldn’t be there.
- If concerned, contact Lifted Veil (liftedveilparanormal.com)
