The Haunting of Ada Loop-Harrison: Port Sanilac, Michigan

In Port Sanilac, there is a ghost story that is more plausible than many of the tales and legends throughout Michigan.  The Loop-Harrison mansion – now a museum – harbors the ghost of Ada Harrison. It is believed she wanders through the house and grounds at any given time of day or night.

So who is she and why is she here? First of all, she lived in this mansion for 50 years until she tragically passed away.....but first -

This 20-room mansion was built by her father in 1875 when Ada was 21. Ada began giving piano and organ lessons to the local children and became known as a strict, no-nonsense teacher. She would not let anyone in the house unless they were there for the music lessons.

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In 1925, Ada turned 71 years old. She had acquired the house down the street her family lived in before they moved into the mansion - and on December 12 she was on her way, walking across the street, to collect rent from the current tenants. It was nighttime, and as she crossed the street one of those newfangled contraptions – a Model T Ford automobile – was heading her way. The driver was operating the car that had no working headlights and smacked into Ada. This may have been the first traffic accident in Port Sanilac; it was definitely the first person to be killed by a vehicle in all of Sanilac County.

But Ada has not left the building.

Now at night when someone drives by the mansion, Ada can sometimes be seen in the rearview mirror, in her long dress, walking down the street in an attempt to finally make it to the other side. There have been home improvement employees that claim they have seen Ada in her upstairs bedroom window, staring out at the street location where she was ran down.

Images inside and out of the mansion are depicted in the gallery below.