Investigation Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller
Date: September 8, 2026
Located a half mile north of Fort Mackinac, near skull cave (a burial site for American Indians), this is one of only four cemeteries in the United States permanently permitted to fly the American flag at half-staff. This honor is maintained 24/7 to remember the unknown soldiers buried here.
The cemetery contains over 140 graves and was built in the early 1800s to house both British and American soldiers who were killed in the War of 1812. After this, civilians and veterans of the American Civil War were also buried here. Many soldiers have been buried here, not many are named
Visitors have reported seeing ghostly apparitions among the gravestones and hearing the faint sound of weeping, believed to be the spirits of those who met tragic ends during the island’s tumultuous history. One such story tells of the ghost of a weeping mother, Mary Ella Cowles (Photo #5). She is seen over the 19th century graves of her two young children Josiah and Isabel. Thirteen other children died at the fort over the years and were all buried at the Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery, and if the haunting is real, there could be plenty of mothers coming to mourn for their little ones for all eternity.
We rested for a while at the cemetery as we had cycled about 14 miles so far around the island. We drank some water, ate a snack, then walked and took many photos in the cemetery. The cemetery was peaceful and serene, but very isolated and creepy at the same time. We heard no woman mourning but at nighttime, this area would definitely be dark and scary.
