Is Detroit Masonic Temple Haunted?
One of the most popular ghosts of the temple is that of George D. Mason himself. Several guests, who have been to the temple, as well as the building’s night patrolmen, are said to have seen his ghost.
The temple has various cold spots and doors are reported to close suddenly. One of the roof doors is said to swing open just moments after it is locked by a watchman. Many people report the feeling of being watched while in the building. Hundreds of ghost hunters travel to Detroit every year to visit the temple and perhaps see a ghost or two. It’s definitely one of the most haunted places in Detroit!
See also: The most haunted hotels in Michigan
History
The Masonic Temple Association was incorporated in Detroit in 1894. The first temple in the state was on First Street, Lafayette Boulevard, in 1896. Later outgrowing the building, the Association purchased land on Temple Avenue, then known as Bagg Street. This new much larger temple would also include a public theater. The building was funded primarily by donations which came to approx. $2.5 million.
Ground-breaking took place on Thanksgiving Day 1920, and the cornerstone was placed on 19th September 1922 – using the same very trowel that George Washington used had used to set the cornerstone of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. The building was then dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1926.
During April 2013, the Detroit Masonic Temple was going through financial difficulties and was very close to foreclosure. However, the singer-songwriter Jack White who is a Detroit native, swooped in to help the cause. Putting forward $142,000 of the $152,000 the building owed to Wayne County.