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!

100 year old historic building
Upon purchasing the property, Corbett investigated some of the histories of the hauntings reported by former employees, owners, guests, and the community. The property has been visited by paranormals, ghostbusters, and investigation groups who are looking for paranormal happenings over the years.

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.