Bath, Michigan is located about 5 miles north of East Lansing. It is a small quiet town. But, has a very sad and tragic history. A history that has left the town haunted and full of paranormal activity.
Prior to any tragedy in Bath, MI it was a rural village of 300 people, Even though Bath was close to Lansing, it was still small. The local school was Bath Consolidated School. This was build only five years prior that replaced a one-room school houses that were scattered throughout Bath. The Consolidated School had 314 students...these were the kids of the farmers. Some of the kids had to be bussed in and almost all of the kids had the same friends from when they started school until when they graduated high school
The tragic story happens in 1927. On May 18, 1987 a man name Andrew Kehoe who was a local farmer and school board member got extremely angry over losing an election. He also received a foreclosure around the same time frame. This pushed Mr. Kehoe over the edge and ended up killing his wife. He also set up bombs that would detonate his home, farm buildings and the towns school. Close to the detonation time he drove to the school in a truck that was rigged with explosives, and he parked next to the school superintendent and detonated. In total, Kehoe killed 44 people. 38 of these were children. Kehoe killed himself in the process. This would be the worst school mass murder in US history. In some small miracle only half of the 1,000 pounds of explosive that was set up under the school detonated. This dramatically lowered the death toll. 33 of the 314 students that attended Bath School were killed, the superintendent, the postmaster and the local farmer assisting at the scene were all killed. The students that were kills were ranged from 2nd to 6th grade. There were 58 other individuals injured.
Before Kehoe killed himself, community members rushed to help after the explosion. They were getting rope to lift the collapse roof and pull students from the rubble. Kehoe stepped out of his truck, which was filled with explosives, pulled out a rifle took aim and fired at his truck. This final explosion killed the schools superintendent, several other bystanders, and even Kehoe himself.
The remains of the Kehoe farm would later be discovered. The same day as the explosions. Nellie Kehoe's body was found (This was Mr. Crazypant's wife) mutilated in a wheel barrow. She was found outside what would remain of the barn. Each of the livestock was also found to be shot and killed. The Kehoe's home was burned to the ground. All that was left of the Kehoe's farm was a fence and a message from the mass murderer that said: “Criminals are made, not born.”
“There was a pile of children about five or six under the roof and some of them had arms sticking out, some had legs, and some just their heads sticking out. They were unrecognizable because they were covered with dust, plaster and blood,” wrote local author Monty J. Ellsworth in his 1927 account, The Bath School Disaster. “It is a miracle that many parents didn’t lose their minds before the task of getting their children out of the ruins was completed. It was between five and six o’clock that evening before the last child was taken out.”
Prior to any of these horrible actions done by Kehoe; he had been just a normal dude. There had been several unusual incidents prior to the bombing but nothing that made anyone think that he was really a bad dude. The had killed a neighbors dog, and beat one of his horses to death. OKAY! I'm sorry but that right there would make me think he is a real bad dude. Like not okay dude. But, what do I do. He had been in arguments with members of the school board over the cost of taxes. But, the villagers never felt as if this was leading up to him going bat-shit and killing everyone.
A little background to Mr. Kehoe:
Andrew Kehoe was born in Tecumseh, Michigan in 1872. He was 1 of 13 children. From the start his life was troubled. His mother passed away when he was very young. Kehoe's father remarried kind of quickly. Kehoe and his stepmother never really got along. When Kehoe was 14 his step mother tried to light an oil stove in their kitchen. The stove exploded and set his step mother on fire. Kehoe just watched her burn. After he watched her burn for a few minutes, he threw a bucket of water on his step mother. She was very injured, and shortly after succumbed to her injuries. It was speculated that Kehoe messed with the stove so it would explode. But, this was never confirmed.
Kehoe went to Michigan State, where he would meet his wife Nellie. He at one point moved to St. Louis where he suffered a traumatic brain injury from a fall in 1911. This fall would put him in a coma for 2 months. It has been said that this brain injury would be part of the cause of his madness. After his fall, Kehoe did start acting a little more eccentric but never really violent.
Andrew and Nellie would become well liked in Bath. They were quick to help neighbors and always looking for ways to improve his farm. But, Kehoe was known for being argumentative and quick to anger if he did not get his own way or if people did not agree with his opinions. Kehoe was also known for being a bit of a tight wad. This is what got him on the school board. He was always looking for ways to save a buck.
Soon, Nellie would become ill with TB (CONSUMPTIONNNNNN, sorry...that's how I hear it in my head) and her medical expenses would put a huge stress on Andrew. He began to not be able to afford his mortgage or bills. He would even use this stance to push for lower taxes as these were making his financial hardships worse. In Kehoe's mind, the property taxes were making his finances hard to handle. And, then when the school was built this became a bigger issue for Kehoe. It was an unnecessary expense. This truly angered Kehoe.
This anger over the taxes and the school festered within Kehoe for a full year as he was planning to bomb the school. And, kill his wife. The plan really started to take hold in the winter of 1926. The school board had asked Kehoe to perform maintenance on the school. This would give him inside knowledge of the school. At some point over the summer Kehoe started buying large quantities of explosives.
To me, he knew exactly what he was doing.
Ghosts of a massacre:
So many ghost stories have come from Bath, Mi. But, its really not a huge surprise why. This story is horrific. According to people living in Bath or even just passing though voices are heard. Cries for help are a common thing to hear. There are even recordings of the voices of the lost..those looking for help after the bombing.
There are multiple unexplained cold spots felt. And, yes Michigan can get cold...but this will be in the middle of warm spots. It is really unexplained.
One of the old funeral homes on Main Street in Bath was turned into apartments. And the residents of these apartments say that the house is completely unsettle. From footsteps and unembodied voices. It is a truly creepy place to live.
People even claim to see ghosts. To actually see the ghost victims of the massacre. One gentleman said the spirit he say had no legs. While another person saw a little girl who was missing a hand.
I mean none of this is REALLY surprising as they were blown the frack up. And, horrifically. I'd probably haunt this place too.
It has been reported that the ghosts that haunt bath aren't your typically ghosts. This is because it is really unknown what they will do. They are just kind of hanging out. They weren't ready to have their lives cut short. But, yet they were killed. So, they are just chilling in Bath forever.
List of Victims:
Nellie Kehoe – 52
Arnold V. Bauerle, age 8, 3rd grade
Henry Bergan, age 14, 6th grade
Herman Bergan, age 11, 4th grade
Emilie M. Bromundt, age 11, 5th grade
Robert F. Bromundt, age 12, 5th grade
Floyd E. Burnett, age 12, 6th grade
Russell J. Chapman, age 8, 4th grade
F. Robert Cochran, age 8, 3rd grade
Ralph A. Cushman, age 7, 3rd grade
Earl E. Ewing, age 11, 6th grade
Katherine O. Foote, age 10, 6th grade
Marjorie Fritz, age 9, 4th grade
Carlyle W. Geisenhaver, age 9, 4th grade
George P. Hall, Jr., age 8, 3rd grade
Willa M. Hall, age 11, 5th grade
Iola I. Hart, age 12, 6th grade
Percy E. Hart, age 11, 3rd grade
Vivian O. Hart, age 8, 3rd grade
Blanche E. Harte, age 30, teacher
Gailand L. Harte, age 12, 6th grade
LaVere R. Harte, age 9, 4th grade
Stanley H. Harte, age 12, 6th grade
Francis O. Hoeppner, age 13, 6th grade
Cecial L. Hunter, age 13, 6th grade
Doris E. Johns, age 8, 3rd grade
Thelma I. MacDonald, age 8, 3rd grade
Clarence W. McFarren, age 13, 6th grade
J. Emerson Medcoff, age 8, 4th grade
Emma A. Nickols, age 13, 6th grade
Richard D. Richardson, age 12, 6th grade Elsie M. Robb, age 12, 6th grade Pauline M. Shirts, age 10, 5th grade Hazel I. Weatherby, age 21, teacher Elizabeth J. Witchell, age 10, 5th grade Lucile J. Witchell, age 9, 5th grade Harold L. Woodman, age 8, 3rd grade George O. Zimmerman, age 10, 3rd grade Lloyd Zimmerman, age 12, 5th gradeKilled by the truck bombing G. Cleo Clayton, age 8, 2nd grade Emory E. Huyck, age 33, superintendent Andrew P. Kehoe, age 55, perpetrator Nelson McFarren, age 74, retired farmer Glenn O. Smith, age 33, postmaster Died later of injuries Beatrice P. Gibbs, age 10, 4th grade
Sources:
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/bath-school-massacre/
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