National House Inn

The Haunted National House Inn

The National House was a stage stop for travelers going to Detroit or Chicago and was built in 1835. Before the Civil War, the inn served a different purpose. A hidden room constructed in the cellar made the inn part of the Underground Railroad. The secret room was found years later and during Prohibition hid illegal liquor shipments.

Spirits attach themselves to people, places or objects. When the inn was renovated and antiques placed in the rooms, paranormal occurrences started. Most of the ghostly visitations revolve around the “Lady in Red” who wanders around the inn, apparently going about her routine as she did when she was alive. Ask hotel operators nicely and they’ll tell you about the room that The Lady in Red insists the door be closed at all times.

Who was The Lady in Red?

Many theories of the identity of ghost dubbed The Lady in Red have been tossed around. The most popular are:

• A resident when the building was converted into apartments
• A woman traveling on the railroad who met a violent death
• Someone involved with the mob during Prohibition

Haunted Rooms of the National House Inn

• Hotel operators say the most haunt activity takes place in the “Charles Dickey Room.” Guests report that pictures have been knocked off the wall, guests have nightmares, and they sometimes smell cigar smoke when no person near has been smoking.