Haunted Places In Michigan:The Dorr E. Felt Mansion
The Origins of the Mansion
Dorr E. Felt had a fascination of land that surrounded the coast of West Michigan. In the
year of 1919, after he had developed a relatively spectacular fortune, he made a purchase of
hundreds of acres that rested along the area of Lake Michigan. The family quickly named this
property “Shore Acres”. Felt wanted to create the most beautiful home that he could for the
love of his life, his wife, Agnes. Construction began in the year of 1925. This home would
act as a summer haven for not just him and his wife, but also the daughters whom they had,
and the families that their daughters had. Three years later, the home was completed. It has
an alarming number of rooms – twenty-five in total – and was approximately, or just over,
17,000 square feet! On the third floor of the home, Felt had even created a majestic
ballroom!
Tragedy Strikes
Approximately a month and a half once the lavish home was completed, and the family moved
into the new structure, a tragedy occurred. Agnes Felt passed away. As you can imagine, Dorr
was simply beside himself with grief. He would not have to contend with the loss for too
long, though, because he died about one year and six months later. It was now 1930.
Unfortunately, nineteen years later, new calculators emerged and it started to affect the
income of the family. In the year of 1949, the family began selling off the items at the
home, and eventually sold Shore Acres, despite the fact that they really did not want to.
The economy had a number of challenges in store for them had they decided to keep the
estate.
The Future of the Mansion
The first transition to the mansion after it was sold was a conversion into a prep school
for boys who were Catholic. Eventually, a new school was built but the nuns who assisted
with the new school were moved to the mansion to live. By the time that the end of the
1970’s rolled around, Michigan decided to purchase the property and convert it into a prison
and also used it for an agency that specialized in drug enforcement. Today, the prison is
gone, and there are numerous communities working together in order to restore the mansion to
its original state.
The Hauntings There are several hauntings that have been said to occur at the mansion which is why it is considered to be one of the haunted places in Michigan. Naturally, it is
believed that the Felts – both Agnes and Dorr – linger in and out of the rooms at the mansion. It is believed that since their time to enjoy the estate was limited in life, that they enjoy it together in the afterlife. These are believed to be kindred spirits that are not out to frighten anyone. It is believed that they simply work to enjoy what they looked forward to, but that they understand that they must share it with others as well! If you would like to catch a glimpse of one of the haunted places in Michigan, and perhaps experience the paranormal phenomenon that occurs at this haunted mansion, you can do so by contacting:
6597 138th Ave. Holland,MI 49423 Phone: 616.335.3050 Return To Haunted Places In Michigan: Felt Mansion Top Of Page
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