By Courtney Elisech
BAY CITY–Nicole Beauchamp took her love and passion for the paranormal and made it into a career in which she not only enjoys but thrives. Since beginning the Tri-City Ghost Hunters Society in 2009, she has traveled the world to investigate haunted locations and structures, speak at different venues about the paranormal, provide ghost tours, and helped to preserve historic landmarks.
2020 marked the start of a new venture when she became a published author and licensed massage therapist. “Haunted Bay City” was her first book published during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Approached by Arcadia Publishing, Beauchamp put together a novel that people worldwide enjoyed. Readers found they were so interested in the locations that they traveled to Bay City to see them for themselves. Beauchamp was awarded a State Tribute for bringing so much tourism to Bay City after the pandemic.
Beauchamp had a successful book signing on Sept. 8, with many fans stopping for a signed copy and chatting with the author. While she had both of her books available, “Haunted Bay City” sold out before the event was halfway over.
Published in 2022, “Haunted Detroit” is her newest release and has already trended worldwide. At the end of August, two gals came all the way from Scotland and England to visit locations in Detroit mentioned in her book. She is excited to share her works with the world.
“You work so long on something and so hard,” Beauchamp said. “And then people buy the books, read them, and leave good reviews. It’s like hell yeah, I did that.”
“Haunted Detroit” and “Haunted Bay City” are books about mostly public locations that you can visit to try and have your own paranormal experience. Many locations mentioned in her books would offer haunted ghost tours if you were interested in a guided experience.
The books focus on known and obscure history, such as details that may not have been revealed or uncovered. They feature elaborate ghost stories and interviews with customers, owners, and visitors about their experiences.
They are a collection of some of the best paranormal stories she has come across in Michigan. Her books can be found at major online stores like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Target.
While Beauchamp is a busy woman and famous to boot, she is very down-to-earth and easy to get along with. It was a joy talking to her about her experiences and hearing her stories. Her passion in life is ghost hunting, and has been for as long as she can remember.
“Ever since I came into consciousness, I have been very much into it,” Beauchamp said when asked what made her investigate the paranormal. She shared a photo on her phone that not many have seen. It was a drawing she made around four or five when she was a young child. It depicted her as a child saying “Bonjour ghost” to a drawing of a ghost. “That is what I was into, anything spooky, scary, ghost, haunting, horror movies.”
The show Ghost Hunters made her realize that the thing she had been interested in her whole life could be a job.
In July, her team traveled to Europe and the U.K. for paranormal investigations at historical sites such as Windsor Castle, Tower of London, Tower of Hercules, and the Paris Catacombs. England is her favorite place to visit and investigate out of everywhere she has traveled.
What is the scariest place she has visited? The Paris Catacombs because getting stuck down there would mean the end; you’d be one of the skeletons.
The scariest places in the U.S. she has visited are the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia and a variety of locations in Bay City, like The Scottish Rite and The Historic Masonic Temple.
Both a native and current resident of Bay City, she holds ghost tours and paranormal investigations, works at a local chiropractic office, and owns her own business, The Traveling Spooky Spa.
“What makes it spooky? And I say, me, of course,” Beauchamp laughed before clarifying. “It’s just a normal massage. Except when I do events, I play creepy instrumental music, and people love it.”
Beauchamp absolutely loves her untraditional careers now; the events as an author, working as a massage therapist, and traveling as a paranormal investigator.
The Tri-City Ghost Hunters are made up of trustworthy family members. Occasionally events will be open to the public, and both amateur and seasoned investigators can come out.
On Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, be a part of the overnight paranormal investigation of the Scottish Rite. You might see a floating torso among the army of the dead or experience a paranormal encounter.
Something you might not know about Beauchamp’s paranormal investigating is that the proceeds from events go back into the arts or the historic structures. She is trying to preserve historic structures in Bay City and across Michigan and the world.
An interesting fact about the author is that she has an associate’s and bachelor’s degree in American Sign Language. While Beauchamp didn’t graduate from Delta College, she attended for a few years. Her mom, Ellen Beauchamp, is an alumni graduate of Delta College. The Tri-City Ghost Hunters Society also did an investigation at Delta College.
Beauchamp enjoys spending time with her four cats when she’s not traveling the world. She has Landon, who came home with her from Missouri, a three-year-old named Chanel, and two older male cats, or “old men cats,” as she called them.
Netflix’s “Derry Girls” is a dark comedy from Northern Ireland that Beauchamp is obsessed with and has watched at least eight times. An Irish accent is her favorite and is second nature to her now.
The 33-year-old author and paranormal investigator extraordinaire has many upcoming events, including being a guest speaker at the 5th annual Mid-Michigan Paranormal Convention, also known as ParaCon. Join a walking tour in Bay City with the author as part of Hell’s Half Mile Spirit Walk after grabbing some handmade treasures from local vendors at the Curiosities and Wonders Exposition. Beauchamp’s Facebook has more events, schedules, and information from the author herself.
