In Marquette, Michigan, far to the North of the state, there is a historic hotel: Landmark Inn. The hotel is located on Front Street. Inside, on the sixth floor, is the Lilac Room, which is beautifully designed and in lilac pink. Regardless of its beauty, it has a darker side, because according to legend–a ghost lives in this hotel. In this post, we will explore the the Lilac Lady of Landmark Inn, because who doesn’t love a good ghost story?
Background and location
The Inn resides in an area where it towers “over Marquette’s cityscape” and silhouettes itself against Lake Superior. In a previous time, it welcomed many celebrities and was a hotspot for visitors. It was the “epicenter of the downtown Marquette social scene” (Landmark Inn). Famous visitors included Amelia Earhart (1932), Abbot & Costello (1942), astronaut Jerry Linenger, and novelist Jim Harrison
So the story of the Lilac Room goes…
The prevailing story tells the tale of a woman (possibly a librarian) whose lover, a sailor, supposedly died on Lake Superior. The “questions about his disappearance plagued her to a point where she couldn’t take the grief anymore” and she killed herself in her room (Robinson). Much akin to folklore, the story has differences depending on the source. One source claims that she died by suicide, “in the room by tying multiple lilac-imprinted napkins together and hanging herself outside of one of the room’s many windows” (Pure Michigan). Other sources state that she might have died of a broken heart (Haunted Rooms). However, it wouldn’t be a ghost story without a ghost. sp she is said to stand at the window, near the bed, or ramble about the room, all the while wearing a floral gown. Therefore, she is the Lilac Lady, who also happens to be in the Lilac Room in the Inn. Additionally, she is said to call the switchboard in the lobby from the room. Afterward, she is seen in the hall of the sixth floor.
Analysis
I have mentioned many times on the blog, but folklore is interesting because it acts as a mode of explanation. It also helps individuals cope with trauma or at least explain why something horrible happens. Ghosts are great catalysts of trauma, as they float through our reality, haunting it with their grief and sadness. In one way, the Lilac Lady seems to be some sort of manifestation of loss due to Lake Superior, which is so near, and undoubtedly this is an occurrence that has happened regularly in the area for years. How many Great Lakes disasters and drownings are there really? In another way, it is a testament to the age-old story of the jilted lover, one that has been pervasive throughout history–the woman that throes herself from a crenelation after her husband fails to return from war, the ghosts that haunt old homes looking for their lovers, etc.
Works Cited
“History.” Landmark Inn. Web. https://www.thelandmarkinn.com/history
“The 7 Most Haunted Places in Michigan.” Haunted Rooms.
“12 Incredibly Haunted Places in the Upper Peninsula.” Pure Michigan. Michigan.org.
Robinson, John. “The ghost of the Lilac Room: Marquette, Michigan.” 99.1 WFMK. May 15, 2019. Web. https://99wfmk.com/the-lilac-room/
