ROYAL OAK (WWJ) -- When it comes to nightlife, there are no lack of options in Royal Oak, Michigan.
But if you’re looking for something that goes bump in the night that’s not the music at a bar or nightclub, there’s an alternative — and much spookier — place where you can spend an evening.
The Orson Starr House is touted as the oldest-standing home in Royal Oak, and if the stories are to believed, it may also be one of the most haunted locations in Metro Detroit.
On this episode of The Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark and Annie Scaramuzzino go inside the 179-year-old home to learn about the storied history of the Orson Starr House, and get acquainted with some of its oldest residents.
Orson Starr and his wife Rhoda Starr moved to Royal Oak from upstate New York in late 1831, becoming some of the city’s earliest settlers and working to carry on the family trade of manufacturing cow bells.
After living in a small cabin on the property for several years, Orson built what is the current house in 1845, which still stands at 3123 N. Main Street near 13 Mile Road.
Through the decades, the Starr family became an integral part of Royal Oak’s history, and Orson Starr served as a justice of the peace, a postmaster, and a state legislator.
When cowbells became obsolete as people began fencing off their properties, the Starr family pivoted to manufacturing brick and tile, and much of it is believed to have helped construct the historic buildings in Royal Oak.
After several generations of Starr’s lived in the home, the Orson Starr House eventually became property of the City of Royal Oak in the 1970s. Extensive restoration efforts were then put into the building, and it was later added to the National Register of Historic Places.
To this day, the Starr family's bible is used for swearing in city officials.
But despite the family’s success in business and their influential status in the local community, they also had their fair share of tragedy. Though Orson and Rhoda had ten children, only five survived into adulthood.
In fact, three of the Starr children died in one week, though there is no record of what caused their deaths.
Through the years, the property has had frequent reports of paranormal activity. Some say its Orson Starr himself who still inhabits the house — along with is dog, a German Shepard that’s apparently been encountered on more than one occasion.
Indeed, many descendants of the Starr family inevitably passed away inside the house over the years, and the home was even used as a funeral parlor for a time in the 1900s.
Due to its haunted reputation, and the need to bring more money into the non-profit to fund further renovations, ghost tours started at the Orson Starr House in 2015.
But the tours, which became quite popular among the Metro Detroit community, were suspended in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When they were approved to resume once again earlier this year, Flyer Paranormal, a team of investigators out of Pinckney, partnered with the Royal Oak Historical Commission to host the tours.
Alexandra Kerrigan, chair of the city Historical Commission, admits she was once skeptical of the rumors that the Orson Starr House was haunted. But after working many late nights by herself in the home, Kerrigan admits she has experienced things that she cannot explain.
Kerrigan says she’s heard everything from disembodied footsteps on stairs and the ceiling above her and strange knocking sounds, among other encounters.
For their part, Dave and John from Flyer Paranormal have no doubt that spirits inhabit the property, and believe they have frequently made contact with several, if not all of the Starr children during their ghost tours.
“When we [first] came in, there was definitely a lot of energy, you could feel it,” John said. “Definitely the chills in and out.”
Still, the house has been meaningful to so many throughout the generations, Flyer Paranormal believe there may be more spirits in the house than just members of the Starr family.
“We want to know who is here from the Starr family, but we get various names,” John said. “We try to figure out if they happened to just pass through the house while they were living, it’s just odd.”
“Even old neighbors, people that used to stop by,” Dave adds, “friends of family members, you never know.”
Upon building his house in 1845, Orson Starr envisioned a place that would serve not only as his family's home, but as a gathering place for the local community.
It’s doubtful he could have foreseen that nearly 200 years later, the Starr House would still be standing strong in Royal Oak, and benefitting Metro Detroiters in exactly that way.
So the next time you visit the Orson Starr House, give Orson a quick ‘thank you’ — there’s a chance he might still be home to hear it.