Nature Notes: Is The Ridges Haunted?
By Anna Foster, Director of Programming
“Is The Ridges Haunted?”
It’s a question we get asked more often than you might think, especially at this time of year. There are many places in Door County that are known to be haunted, but The Ridges isn’t one of them. However, over the years I’ve heard enough tales from staff and volunteers to suggest otherwise.
It makes sense that people have stories of strange occurrences at The Ridges, given that the organization is in its 88th season and has multiple historic buildings on the property. Ghost stories are par for the course when it comes to historic buildings, especially those that have housed many families over the years. This raises the question: are these stories true, or is it just people’s imaginations getting the best of them?
Admittedly, I love a good ghost story. I also love learning the history of old buildings and how the people who came before us inhabited the same spaces we do today. I tend to collect these stories because it helps me feel well acquainted with a place. Having worked with so many people connected to the organization’s history over the last eight and a half years, I’ve collected quite a few intriguing tales.
To answer the question of whether The Ridges is haunted, and to celebrate the spooky nature of the season, I thought I’d share just a few of the stories. You can be the judge of whether you think The Ridges has some supernatural residents. Maybe you don’t believe in ghosts, or maybe some of you have your own experiences to add to the list…
The Kaye Cabin
Many people remember the cabins as the old Nature Center of The Ridges. The building holds special memories for many of our volunteers. One day about three years ago, a summer intern told us her grandmother (a longtime volunteer) didn’t like to go up into the attic of the Kaye cabin. When asked why, she said it was because she didn’t like seeing the burn marks from the girl that died there.
Naturally, my reaction was along the lines of, “What now???” At the point of this conversation, I had been going up into the Kaye cabin attic for about six years. Surely, the burn marks were from a small fire or were present on the lumber before the cabin was constructed. The intern’s insistence on her grandmother’s recollection led to more historical digging on my part.
The Kaye Cabin was constructed in 1853 on the farm of Orville Kaye in Kolberg (southern Door County). In the early 1900s, the Lessmillers moved in. They had two children, one of whom was Almita. Looking through Roy Luke’s records, I found an old newspaper article clipping. It turned out that the volunteer had been right.
The tragic death of Almita was a shock to myself and the other Ridges staff members I told. It was a sad story that has faded through the decades of different staff members and cabins uses. Many people tell stories about The Ridges back in the day, but having access to the newspaper article made us all very aware of the space and time spent there.
To be clear, those who have heard footsteps upstairs or have felt like someone is watching them have never talked negatively about it. If Almita’s spirit is in the Kaye cabin, she hasn’t bothered anyone, at least not that I’m aware of. The cabins always have been and continues to be a special space, loved by many campers, students, and hikers.
The Upper Range Light
The Range Light sparks the most questions about ghosts at The Ridges. Constructed in 1869, the Range Lights were home to eight different Range Light Keepers and their families, a Lutheran minister and his family, and several Ridges Directors before it became the organization’s office space in the 2000s. Upon the construction of the “new” Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center in 2015, staff moved to the Nature Center, and the Range Light was restored to the period of the last Range Light Keeper, Henry Gattie.
As with pretty much any lighthouse anywhere, there have been several unexplainable occurrences inside the building. Here are a few examples:
- A staff member was using the Range Light shower one evening after their water had been cut to do some plumbing work. She was in the shower downstairs while her partner was upstairs. In the middle of her shower, she heard a blood curdling scream. She jumped out of the shower and ran upstairs, only to find her husband sitting and reading. He hadn’t heard anything. Was this a ghost? And if so, who?
- One of our Environmental Educators lived in the Upper Range Light two winters ago. She had several otherworldly occurrences while she lived there. For example, when her family stayed in the Range Light while visiting her, they came downstairs to find that her plants had been tipped over. She had no pets. They could find no explanation as to why or how this might have happened. After they found the plants, her brother told her he felt as though someone had been standing over his bed, watching him the entire night.
- We have a wonderful live-in docent program at the Upper Range Light, in which volunteers stay a week in the Range Light, opening the building for tours each day and teaching visitors about the history of the Range Lights. The docents who were in the Range Light during the last week of August this year, Don and Connie, had more than one strange occurrence during their stay. First, Connie posted a photo online to friends and family, updating them about their stay at the Range Light. Friends started commenting on the photo, suggesting that either a Range Light Keeper or a skull could be seen in the photograph (see below). Connie and Don think the man others commented on seeing could be Fabian Truedell, the first Range Light Keeper. The second unexplainable occurrence had Don and Connie truly spooked. After a long day of giving tours of the Range Light, the two went upstairs to relax. It was dusk at the time, which is when the Sanctuary closes to visitors. Shortly after sitting down, Don and Connie both heard loud knocking at the back door. Before they could get up and make their way downstairs, they heard more knocking. Don recalls, “I ran downstairs, figuring someone from the Nature Center was stopping by. Went immediately to the back door, no one there. Popped my head out and looked around the building and nothing. Went to the front, looked around from all angles and no one. We both had the hair on our arms standing on end. What was the knocking?”
- The most recent encounter comes from our Naturalist and adamant ghost-story-hater, Amy. Amy’s parents were staying in the Upper Range Light this fall as live-in docents. After a long day of programming, Amy decided to sleep on the cot in the Range Light rather than drive down to her house Sturgeon Bay in the dark. As she was lying on the cot in the bedroom that evening, she heard laughter coming from the living room downstairs. Amy’s parents were asleep, and no one was nearby outside. She immediately thought it had to be the laughter of Henry and Eve Gattie, the last Range Light keepers. Eve and Henry loved to entertain guests, and she said it sounded just like people were having a nice time at a dinner party. Although it sounded friendly and kind, the next day Amy vowed never to stay in the Range Light again.
I did some digging into the history of the Range Lights just to see if there could be any explanation for these occurrences. The only record of a death I could find was that of Lucy Shaler. Her husband, Marcus Shaler, became the Range Light keeper in September of 1872. His time at the Range Light was short. An outbreak of typhoid fever swept through Door County in the winter of 1874-1875. Tragically, Lucy succumbed to the illness that winter. Marcus’s grief was so consuming that he resigned from the post of Range Light Keeper in April of 1875.
Henry Gattie was the Range Light keeper for 27 years until 1923, when the lights were converted to an unmanned system. He was very fond of the Range Lights and often checked in on the buildings, even after he and his wife Eve moved to Cana Island. The two eventually retired but visited the Range Light often. The house is restored to the period of Henry Gattie’s time as Range Light Keeper.
Were these strange occurrences in the Range Light the presence of the ghost of Henry? Could it be someone else who lived there? Or are there perfectly reasonable explanations for these experiences? We may never know. However, part of our programs is to tell the story of Henry Gattie and the other Range Light Keepers, the hard and isolating work they did, and what life was like here in Baileys Harbor back when the Range Lights were built in 1869.
The Ridges is a special place to many people. The organization was founded by a group of people who desperately wanted to protect the land for future generations, which is something that all staff, volunteers, and anyone who has been involved in the organization over the years share with one another. Many people comment on how The Ridges feels “different” or “special” when they’re out on the trails, like there’s some unknown energy that makes itself known to those who venture out into the depths of the Sanctuary. Whether the history of the buildings or of the area have influenced this energy, or it’s just something intangible about the place, we can all agree that The Ridges is worth protecting for those who will come after us. Staff do their best every day to care for and respect everything within the Sanctuary, including the historic buildings and spooky spirits inside.
These are just a few of many tales from volunteers, staff, and friends of The Ridges Sanctuary. Do YOU have any spooky experiences to add to this list? I’d love to know! Email me at anna@ridgessanctuary.org.
Celebrate Halloween with Us!
While these stories are actually pretty spooky, we do offer more family-friendly ways to celebrate the Halloween season!
Friday, October 24 | 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Join us for our annual Halloween Hike at The Ridges! Stop by the Nature Center to register, then enjoy a self-guided walk along the Hidden Brook boardwalk! Staff will be at stations along the way to teach you about some of the nighttime critters we find in the Sanctuary. After your hike, enjoy warm cider and a fire on the front lawn. This walk is appropriate for families with children of all ages.
Fee: $8 Adult | $5 Children 18 & Under
Meet: Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center
Register here.