The creepy graveyard haunted by restless spirits has long been a Halloween staple. Truth is, other than falling leaves, the Halloween season doesn’t really bring much change to a cemetery’s surroundings. Most across the region are peaceful, even scenic resting places for those who have passed on. But even if the folks inside are dead and gone, many have left us legacies — and a sense of their restless spirit while alive — that inspire us still.

In this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker, writer Ross Boissoneau highlights a "who's who" list of notable individuals buried in local cemeteries. Whether it's Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist Bruce Catton at Benzonia Township Cemetery, Traverse City founding father Perry Hannah and Interlochen Center for the Arts founder Dr. Joe Maddy at Traverse City's Oakwood Cemetery, or famed orator and "best public speaker in America" Guy Vander Jagt at Cadillac's Maple Hill Cemetery, Boissoneau uncovers the fascinating stories of some of the region's most acclaimed former residents.

Read this and more northern Michigan-focused Halloween stories in this week's Northern Express, available online and on newsstands at nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across the region.