Drink every time I say mausoleum.....

The Beeson Mansion was built in 1847 and is located in Niles, Michigan. It was originally built by a whiskey distiller but was later purchased by a local attorney by a dude named Strother Beeson. I mean, I wanna be called Strother from now on. Good bye Hank!

Shortly after the purchase of the Beeson Mansion Strother begain to build an elaborate mausoleum outside his mansion. Specifically for his mother's remains - great is he a mama's boy? But, because of the size of this mausoleum soon many members of the Beeson's were also burried there. This then became the forever resting place for Strother Beeson's infant grandson.

So, the story goes that Harriet Beeson - Strother's daughter in law- has a baby and the baby dies within the first year of it's life. This would have been right around 1870. The new mother was grieving. And, like hard core can't get out of bed, won't stop sobbing kind of grieving. So, to help cope with the loss of her son she started visiting him in the mausoleum. It started just lighting a candle every night to make sure he never was kept in the dark. But, it soon escalated.

It's said she would take the remains of her son and rock him to sleep every night. And, eventually would breast feed his remains. Night after night she'd walk sobbing to visit her son. She would bathe, feed and dress her son. She would then rock him to sleep and once satisfied she would place him in his coffin and return the next night to preform this nightly routine.

This would continue until the body was too decomposed to continue. There is a story that says she only stopped when his eyeballs fell out of his skull. This completly wrecked poor Harriet. It drove her mad. Which resulted in her being institutionalized and she would spend the rest of her days in an asylum. She would eventually die committed and heartbroken due to the loss of her son.

Well wouldn't you know it her soul, ghost, or whatever part of her that didn't stay in the home for the mentally unwell returned to Beeson Mansion. It is said you can hear her wails and sobbing. Some have even said you can see the ghost of a small child coming out of the mausoleum. (side note, if I write mausoleum I may need to be committed)

There have also been reports of small statured - maybe kid - ghosts that are seen on a ghost horse all around the Beeson Mansion grounds. There are also reports of a friendly ghost that opens and closes doors for different guests in the Mansion. This friendly ghost - or maybe another friendly ghost - has also stopped people from falling off of ladders.

The Beeson family tracks all the way back to America's conception. Beeson's grandfather is said to have fought in the Revolutionary war. And, it wouldn't be a Hank's Lore without the mention of consumption. Which Strother's brother died of. So, Strother is no real stranger to death. HIs frist wife Mary died during childbirth. His son would soon die after. His wife and son were burried together in the same casket and kept in the mausoleum.

I guess there is a whiskey bottle, a coin and a bible built into the walls somewhere within the Mansion. There are between 10 & 22 rooms in the mansion. Seems like a big difference in the amount of rooms, but what do I know?

And, here is some truth. Harriet was married to another of Strother's son - obviously not the one that died as a baby. Harriets baby's name was Job. He did die right around his first birthday, and the cause of death was listed as teething. - uhmmm?

There are many records - public records - saying Harriet was never instatutionalized. She was never committed and really never had any reports of mental illness. She did move away - but it was because she could not handle Michigan's climate. (real, Harriet, real) Harriet Strother died in South Carolina due to an infection of the lungs.

It is specualted that all of consumption haunts the Besson Mansion. And, I mean maybe?

So, what do you think? Mother so absorbed by the loss of her baby she couldn't let go? Or, a simple garden variety haunting and its all hyped up?

You tell me.

XOXO

Hank