Is the Voigt House haunted?

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Ghost hunting has become mainstream. From movies that have you on the edge of your seat like "Paranormal Activity," to those aimed at kids like "Paranorman," many people seem obsessed with paranormal investigations.

But talking to the dead is more than just a curiosity -- it's a way of life. And it is not new.  

When the Voigt House -- 115 College Ave. SE in the Heritage Hill neighborhood in Grand Rapids -- was built in 1895, society was in the middle of the spiritualist movement. Séances and mediums were all the rage.

But is the Voigt House haunted?

"It does have kind of a spooky vibe to it. It's an old, creaky house with lots of empty and dark rooms. We have never had any specific reports of, you know, specific haunting or ghosts in any rooms, or anything moving around or anything like that. But we are interested to see what we find out about it," Alex Forist, a curator with the Grand Rapids Public Museum, told 24 Hour News 8 on Tuesday.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum gave 24 Hour News 8 exclusive access inside the home from Wednesday night into Thursday morning. It was the first time since the late 1970s that someone had spent the night inside the home.

24 Hour News 8's Tom Hillen was joined overnight by the Michigan Paranormal Alliance, which specializes in contacting spirits, and Jared Yax, a curator for the museum. The MPA performed several exercises throughout the night, trying to determine if the Voigt House is haunted, or if spirits remain there.

The museum provided information about the house that shows about five members of the Voigt family died inside the residence.

Throughout the night, the investigators spent a significant amount of time in the parlor and in the master bedroom.

Rosemary Lelievd, a psychic with the Michigan Paranormal Alliance, told 24 Hour News 8 Thursday morning they believe paranormal activity -- not evil or menacing -- happened while they were there overnight. She said they communicated with at least one spirit in the house.

Audio recording devices, as well as video cameras, were positioned inside the Voigt House to help reveal more information about any other possible spirits existing. The Michigan Paranormal Alliance will watch and listen to these recordings to determine the results -- a process that could take about a week.

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The Voigt House is closed to the public due to economic reasons.

But there are more than 100 paranormal societies in Michigan and numerous other places supposedly haunted in West Michigan you can visit, including --

-- A ghost named Emily is at The Kirby Grill in Grand Haven

-- Someone named Henry is in the basement of The Ritz Coney in Grand Rapids

-- The Pearl Room on the third floor at McFadden's in Grand Rapids

-- Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids where occasional paranormal investigations occur