Good Hart, Michigan: Living Down the 1968 Murders
There are some sites on the internet that call Good Hart a ‘ghost town’. However, present and past residents get somewhat peeved when they hear that term...they will argue tooth and nail that Good Hart is NOT a ‘ghost town’.
Good Hart is located in Emmett County southwest of Mackinaw City, north of Petoskey and on the Lake Michigan shoreline. It's also located on the beautiful 'Tunnel of Trees' Scenic Heritage Route, it makes for an extra special roadtrip if you've never been that way before.
In 1877, three quarters of Good Hart's population was Native American, out of only 100 residents. There was a school for Native American children, two stores, a Catholic church, blacksmith, doctor and post office. By 1905, the entire tribe had left. Afterward, the town added a butcher shop, fish store, tavern and shoe shop. Over time, the businesses called it quits, the town dwindled, and currently there are only one or two stores left.
In the summer of 1968, this seemingly tranquil and beautiful resort area was marred by something horrific, totally opposite of what one would expect.
Neighbors in the area of the vacation home of wealthy executive Richard Robison complained about a foul odor coming from the house. Thinking it might be just a dead raccoon or some other wild animal, a local carpenter investigated the complaint and discovered the whole family had been slaughtered: the man & wife, three sons and 7-year-old daughter. All had been shot and a couple of them had also been bludgeoned with a hammer.
Richard, a Detroit magazine publisher, discovered that one of his employees, Joseph Scolaro III, had embezzled $60,000 from the company. It was speculated that the employee drove hours up from Detroit, killed the whole family so nobody would find out he embezzled funds, and drove back before Richard had the chance to call authorities. Scolaro was the main suspect and failed two lie detector tests.
Sensing his time as a free man was beginning to close, Scolaro wrote out a suicide note that declared he was innocent. Knowing that the police were getting ready to apprehend him, Scolaro shot himself in the head. There were other suspects, so no charges were filed and the case is still unsolved.
To this day, Good Hart has mostly outlived that dark cloud and remains a sleepy, pleasant little place where tourists love to visit.
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