A Tale of Two Parks... And Four Cemeteries

Last summer, we investigated Oak Park in Charlotte, Michigan.

Living in East Lansing, this was a convenient investigation for us: it was a short drive, which we greatly appreciated after conducting several investigations that were hours away. But when I told people where we were going, they seemed to think Oak Park was even closer than Charlotte. They asked if we were going to the one in Lansing, to which I said no.
HOWEVER... they were not entirely wrong. Apparently, there is an Oak Park in Lansing. And the similarities don't just end with their names.
Coincidentally, their histories are nearly identical.
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Let me explain:

In case you haven't seen our investigation video of Charlotte's Oak Park, or need a quick refresher: before it was the unassuming neighborhood playground that it is today, it was once the city's cemetery. But, with the increased need for more burial space, the cemetery was moved to a larger area on the edge of town. They moved all the bodies from Oak Park's location to the new one... that's what they set out to do, at least.
Not all the bodies were properly moved. People were separated from family members... they were even separated from themselves, as parts of people were moved to the new location, and parts of their body remained at Oak Park.
Today, there's a playground atop these bodies. Not many locals know of its history as the city cemetery. All that remains of it is a stone monument in the center of the park, left intact from the cemetery days.

Now, allow me to explain the history of Lansing's Oak Park.

It was once the city's first cemetery... until it was eventually decided to move to a larger area in another spot of town. They moved all the bodies from Oak Park's location to the new one... that's what they set out to do, at least.

Sound familiar?

Lansing's Oak Park also has a stone fountain in its center, and, according to an article from the Lansing State Journal, also has reported hauntings that, until today, I was unfamiliar with.

For further information, the Friends of Lansing's Historic Cemeteries shared this incredible article from 1953, detailing their Oak Park's morbid past. While you're on their page, I highly recommend giving them a "like"... they're doing great work to help preserve the cemeteries in Lansing, and keep the city's history alive.

Speaking of keeping history alive, when we investigated Charlotte's Oak Park, we were unaware of the eerie coincidence here in Lansing. It probably would have spooked us a bit too much in the moment, though, as that investigation was one of our creepiest.

Looks like when it gets a bit warmer, and the quarantine is lifted, we'll have to make a trip out to Oak Park... both to the one in Lansing, and back to the one in Charlotte.