Go to Hell in Michigan
By Mike Steely
Just northwest of Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a small town that might not appeal to many visitors except for during the Halloween season. It’s a little unincorporated community that has made the best of its name, Hell.
The devilishly named town is one of the many places around the world highlighted in a new book by Erika Engelhaupt, whose works include the book “Gory Details: Adventures from the Dark Side of Science” and many National Geographic feature stories and freelance articles. “Gory Details” is available on Amazon and other book sites on the internet and is published by National Geographic Partners.
I recently asked my wife if she knew where Hell, Michigan was and she replied that she knows where the little community is, having been a childhood resident of Devil’s Lake, Michigan.
Within Engelhaupt’s new book, which was published in September, are places like the Well of Hell in Yemen, Pluto’s Gate in Turkey, Skull Rock in Australia, the Dead Sea in Jordan and St. Patrick’s Purgatory in Ireland.
I found the chapter on Hell, Michigan, interesting and scary. Engelhaupt writes that Hell grew up around a gristmill and a distillery that supplied locals with booze which may have contributed to the name. When Michigan became a state, a local landowner was asked to name the place and he replied, “You can call it Hell for all I care.”
Efforts to change the name have failed and several businesses boast the name including the Hell Saloon, a wedding chapel, and an October festival with Halloween-themed events all month. Friday the 13th is popular at the Hell Wedding Chapel. If you missed that September date there’s another Friday 13th in December.
Engelhaupt is now a Knoxville resident and I asked her for a comment.
“I came to Knoxville in 2016 to join my husband here, who was working at ORNL at the time,” she replied.
“I decided to leave my editing job at Nat Geo in order to freelance and write books, and have enjoyed living and working here in Knoxville,” she said.
But let’s return to Hell.
The little community has a Love Bridge across Hell Creek River, a Creamatory of Screams ice cream parlor, a Smoke Doctor BBQ, a Damnation University and Screams Souvenirs, an official post office with a postal mark, bus tours, the Hell Country Store and a Gates of Hell entrance. The community thrives on the name and you could come away from your visit with Hell sunglasses, pens and unique Halloween items. There’s an online store for non-visitors who can experience Hell without being there. You can even buy one square inch of Hell and become a property owner. You can even buy tee shirts that proclaim “I’ve been to Hell and back.”
Hell also has campgrounds, biking and hiking trails, a chain of lakes and the nearby Pinkney Recreation Area. While in Hell you can even be the mayor for an hour and get an official certificate and a mug. If you’re headed toward Hell or anywhere north of Knoxville you might want to look out your passenger window as you begin to climb the Cumberland Mountain north of Caryville for a long line of upturned cliffs known as the “Devil’s Staircase.” There’s a “Hell for Certain” in Kentucky, a Hell in California, Hell Creek in Montana and in our region a “Hell’s Point Ridge” in Campbell County.
