located above the blue pelican

Merrie Corbett’s Grandfather Adams fell in love with Northern Michigan. He began frequent northern treks from the family’s home in Lansing.

Two generations later, Chris and Merrie purchased a home here, and while strolling the streets of Central Lake fell in love with a grand building standing in the center of town which is now Adams Madams on the corner of Old State Road and Main Street.

Chris and Merrie missed the seafood cuisine of the East Coast and decided to bring a taste of it to Central Lake. The Blue Pelican was the former Chatter Box at the corner of West Old State Road and East Torch Lake Drive just down the street from Old Brownwood Restaurant.

This restaurant brought the beach and coastal seafood to Northern Michigan. Sadly, in July of 2008, The Blue Pelican burned down. This would not, however, deter Chris from being a restaurateur.

By October 2008, he and Merrie were the proud owners of the historic (and haunted) Murphy’s Lamplight Inn in downtown Central Lake. After a winter of major renovations, the Blue Pelican Inn opened in May of 2009, serving the same great food in a truly elegant atmosphere.

The seven rooms upstairs opened shortly after and have had several guests remark that they weren’t always alone! The Inn is considered one of the five most haunted places in Michigan!

The Blue Pelican Inn has been known by many names, most recently as Murphy’s Lamplight Inn before it was purchased in 2008.

Going back to its early days, it was built in 1924 by Art Carpenter, Joe Blakely, and Jack Garrison, all local stonemasons. It was owned by a stock company and the whole project was headed by Orrin (O.P.) Barber, with help from John Smith. It was named WE-GO-TA. Emmons (E.B.) Gill lived in the hotel and ran it. The bar and dining room were at the north end of the hotel with a total of 22 rooms and only 4 bathrooms.

For years it was a favorite location for traveling salesmen. At some time during this period, the name was changed to the Central Lake Hotel. Several years later, Cliff and Etta Springstead sold their Central Lake tavern and purchased the Central Lake Hotel.

In April of 1946, Charles A. (Art) Cronover and his wife Ruth, and Archie S. Dayton purchased the hotel. The rooms with baths were rented for $4.50 per night and without a bath, they were $2.50. Someone always met passengers at the train station who were wishing to stay at the hotel.

In the mid-1960’s, Gary Morse purchased the hotel and changed the name to The Palace. Morse moved the bar to the south end of the hotel and totally remodeled it. The second floor was renovated to include living quarters for the family and the Brownwood offices. The Palace was also the scene of a gala New Year’s Eve party for many years.

In the mid-seventies, Doug and Mary Lou Denny purchased The Palace and changed the name to The Lamplight Inn. The menu featured steaks, seafood, and prime rib specials. The overnight guests utilized the upstairs bedrooms for a bed and breakfast.

In 1986, Ted and Betty Strezempek bought the Lamplight Inn along with their sons Tracy and Scott. They improved on the fine dining. In 1996, the Inn was sold to Mike and Mary Ellen Murphy. They moved their family from Dearborn, Michigan and changed the name to Murphy’s Lamplight Inn.

Before the hotel was purchased by the Corbett’s, the three main stories that existed were of Mrs. Gill, who managed the property in the 20’s and 30’s and came back to stay in the 1950’s, where she passed away in one of the rooms.

The second ghost is a story of a young woman who is eloping from the second-floor window, where she tripped on her gown and fell to her death.

The third is a little girl who with her school books is looking out the attic dormer, as if she was waiting inside a school. It was later learned that the property was used as a temporary school when the original Central Lake School burned down.

Another instance is of a young lady (the daughter of a paranormal) working in the hotel who was escorting a person out the front door, she opened the door for the person, but no one else could see this person. Several other instances of sightings and sounds abnormal to normal building noise have been brought to Corbett’s attention