Michigan's Oldest Inn is Also the Most Notoriously Haunted

I've written about the haunted National House Inn in Marshall before, but this time, we get to see the inside.

Before we do that, let's get to a brief backstory and why customers and owners believe it to be haunted.

Back in 1835 it was built by Colonel Andrew Mann, who named it after himself: the Mann Hotel. It became a popular stayover on the stagecoach trail between Chicago and Detroit, now known as Michigan Avenue (Business 94).

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In 1844, the railroad was laid through, bringing even more travelers, settlers....and money. The years plodded on, and the hotel went through some name changes: Acker House, and Facey House. One notable thing about the hotel, it had a hidden room that was specifically built in the basement to conceal runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad.

By the late 1870s, and thanks to updated passenger train cars, more people started taking the train and sleeping in berths. With less customers, the inn became a windmill, a wagon factory, and finally an apartment building in 1902. The hidden Underground Railroad room became useful to bootleggers smuggling and transporting illegal booze.

It was in 1976 when the inn went through some renovations that the claims of paranormal activity began to surface. Guests and hotel employees sighted the apparition of a woman wearing a red dress who floated through the halls. This female spirit has been said to be that of either a former hotel customer, a woman who was connected to the illegal bootlegging, or even just one of the train passengers who came through. No conclusive answer has been brought forth, and past paranormal investigators say this place is truly a haunted location.

And yes – you are welcome to spend the night here.

The National House Inn is now a Bed & Breakfast, located on the corner of Michigan Avenue and S. Sycamore Street. Now take a look at the images in the gallery below.