Growing up in Michigan, I’ve always had a huge curiosity about what it would be like to live and work in a lighthouse. I’ve also always wondered if any of the lighthouses were haunted. Now I can find out about the “haunted” part! A good friend of mine — and long-time writer and promoter of all things Michigan — Dianna Stampler, has for many years presented a program called “Michigan’s Haunted Beacons”. She is now turning that presentation into a booked called “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses”.
Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other state. Some 30 of those are rumored to be haunted by the spirits of former keepers, mariners and others with ties to these historic beacons. Inside the pages of “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses”, Dianna shares stories of those who dedicated their lives — and afterlives — to protecting the Great Lakes shoreline.
Dianna has been researching, writing and presenting programs about Michigan’s lighthouses and their keepers for more than 20 years. She says, “I am honored that History Press contacted me about writing this book for them. I know many of these stories intimately, but for this project I dug in even deeper to find photos, historical records, newspaper clippings and other details that shed light on the history of these beacons. I have even uncovered some facts that contradict what I previously believed about some of the keepers, which is exciting to me and hopefully to my readers.”
Her book is getting closer to publication every single day and it has recently appeared for pre-order on The History Press website and Amazon.com. It’s also listed with the popular book review site, GoodReads.com.
Throughout the year, Dianna will be speaking at libraries, bookstores, museums, conferences and events with her lively and upbeat presentation about these lights, followed by a book signing. Among the featured events are the 61st annual Michigan in Perspective: The Local History Conference, March 22 in Sterling Heights; the Tall Ship Celebration, July 18-21 in Bay City; and the Michigan Lighthouse Conference, August 2 in Port Huron. For the complete schedule of upcoming events, visit the Promote Michigan Speaker’s Bureau online. She will have copies of “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses” available for purchase at her speaking engagements.
If the name Dianna Stampfler sounds familiar — she has been a guest many times over the years on my radio programs. She has been professionally writing and broadcasting since high school. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with emphasis in Community Journalism and Communications with emphasis in radio broadcasting from Western Michigan University. She is a member of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, Great Lakes Maritime Museum, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, Historical Society of Michigan, Michigan Maritime Museum, National Museum of the Great Lakes and West Michigan Tourist Association. She was born and raised in Plainwell, but currently lives in Walloon Lake, MI.
