(WXYZ) — A historic landmark in Royal Oak is attracting the paranormal and those curious about it.
Ghost tours started at the Orson Starr Home in 2015, but they were suspended during the pandemic. Last month, the city approved the tours to resume.
“You have a lot of people coming and going, a lot of stories, and a lot of emotions," Alexandra Kerrigan with the Royal Oak Historic Commission, said.
From the family residence of a renowned manufacturer to a funeral home and a boarding house, the home has a history dating back more than 150 years.
“So in 1845 Orson built this house. This side was the most original," Kerrigan said.
You could say these walls hold a lot of people's stories. As we found out, if you believe in the paranormal, some of those stories are louder than others.
“We just got a little blurb on the K2," John Yost with Flyer Paranormal said while I was visiting.
Starting soon, for one Saturday a month, you'll see equipment and guys like John Yost here. He's a paranormal investigator. He and his time drive here from Pinckney to listen to and interpret the unexplainable, which tends to happen a lot under the roof.
Just ask Kerrigan, who wasn't much of a believer so-to-speak before taking the job. Then, she was closing up one night and alone at the home.
“So I kind of stood here and just listened for a moment, and that’s when I heard footsteps walk across the bedrooms upstairs," she said. "Clear as day."
I'm still standing on the side with the skeptics, but like any reporter, I'm curious by nature, so we took a look around.
It was when we were in the Starr children's room, that John’s monitor started picking up a lot more activity.
“On our structured light sensor camera connect 360 here, we got actually a stick figure that laid out here on the table," Yost said.
City commissioners didn't give these tours a green light simply because they like a spook. Half of the proceeds go to the historical commission to fund things like upkeep, repairs and continued research about the Starr's role in Royal Oak's story. Even the family's bible is used for swearing in city officials.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the tours were suspended.
“It was hard for all of us, just not to be here," Kerrigan said.
The city has been working with John and his team since last year. His goal is to leave people, believers or not, with a bit of wonder.
“What’s your confidence level now that there’s an entity in the room with us?” I asked.
“I would say pretty large," he said.
Tours at the Orson Starr Home start back up on April 8, but that day is sold out. You can get tickets to other dates here.
