Jolly Pumpkin - A Brewery with a Haunted Past

October 6, 2020

Scary stories normally begin around a campfire while burning marshmallows and sipping shitty beer, but what if we traded in that old tradition for artisan pizzas and craft brew instead? I knew you'd be on board...

Exterior sign for Jolly Pumpkin Old Mission Brewery, surrounded by plants and rustic wood siding.

It began with a rich ass lumberjack, J.W Stickney, and his wife Genevieve, building the Inn as their summer home in the late 1880s.Not much backstory on the lives of the Stickney's...supposedly she made jams and brandies while he was growing his lumberjack business in Chicago...sounds like a nice quaint little life among the trees of West Grand Traverse Bay.

Old newspaper clipping from the Traverse City Record-Eagle dated October 31, 1977, with the headline “Ghosts? Unexplained happenings add spice to local bill-of-fare.” The article features tintype portraits of Genevive and J. W. Stickney, accompanied by text describing ghost stories and paranormal activity linked to the local area.

Not much backstory on the lives of the Stickney's...supposedly she made jams and brandies while he was growing his lumberjack business in Chicago...sounds like a nice quaint little life among the trees of West Grand Traverse Bay.

But over the years Genevieve would become increasingly overweight, so much so an elevator was installed to help her move between floors. Stickney would eventually hire a nurse to help tend to her needs. Genevieve was not fond of the woman and suspected an affair. Her suspicions were quickly confirmed after the death of her husband as he left the Inn to G and his fortune to the nurse. Ouch. Falling into a deep depression and unable to deal with the heartbreak she hung herself in the elevator shaft and with that, a ghost story was born.

Dark wooden elevator shaft with an open lattice door leaning inside, lit by a warm red glow.

The elevator shaft that's clearly out of order and probably not going to be working any time soon.

Skepticism lies behind the truthfulness of this story yet unexplainable phenomena has occurred in the inn.

The elevator has reportedly moved on its own.
Lights have been known to turn on unexpectedly.
Apparitions of Genevieve have been said to appear in the hallway mirror.

Warmly lit hallway with framed portraits and historical photos hanging on the walls. You won't need to play "Bloody Mary" in this mirror to see a ghost. Genevieve Stickney has been known to appear.

Spiral wooden staircase with black iron railing, viewed from above with a round chandelier in the center. Don't believe it? Then this ghost story isn't the only thing leaving a sour taste in your mouth. The Jolly Pumpkin Brewery is known for its sour beers; maturing them all in oak casks instead of steel tanks making one delicious bottle of brew.

Two glasses of golden craft beer sit on a wooden barrel in front of a large textured orange pumpkin, glowing in warm autumn sunlight. But don't take my word for it. USA Today named Jolly Pumpkin Traverse City the 4th best brewery in America in 2018...and if that doesn't get you there I don't know what will.