Haunted Michigan: The Owosso Casket Company

Okay, so maybe it's not haunted, but it's still creepy and cool.

If you're anything like me, you're a Halloween junkie, and not just during the fall. I watch horror movies and read scary books year-round, so this time of the year is my favorite. That's why I'm going to be doing a series called Haunted Michigan until Halloween, featuring some of the creepiest, spookiest, most interesting landmarks in the mitten state.

Our first stop isn't necessarily haunted, but it has a creepy and super fascinating past - the Owosso Casket Company.

It was started in 1882 by the Woodard Brothers; they had been making caskets out of pine since 1866 and decided to team up with James and Peter Stover to officially create the Owosso Casket Company.

Their casket factory was built on South Elm Street; the location suffered a fire in 1888 but was quickly rebuilt. By 1913, the company was producing 150 caskets per day, much of it demand was due to the flu pandemic that was killing children and the elderly at an alarming rate.

By 1920, they were the largest casket company in the world.

In fact, two United States Presidents are buried in caskets from the Owosso Casket Company: Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley, both of whom passed in 1901. McKinley, who had been assassinated, was buried in a metal coffin.

The factory remained in operation until the 1940s. The actual Owosso Casket Company building remains empty today.