HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
1836 St. Clair Boarding House Now Haunted Irish Inn
505 Clinton Ave, St Clair, MI 48079
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Overnight rooms and Irish pub dining. Room rates vary; check murphyinn.com. Pub open to walk-ins.
Access
Limited Access
Historic two-story boarding house structure with stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1836 · 19th-Century Michigan Boarding House · St. Clair River History · Oldest Inn in Michigan
The structure at 505 Clinton Avenue dates to 1836, when it was built as a boarding house called the Farmer's Home along the St. Clair River in St. Clair, Michigan. The St. Clair River corridor was a commercial artery in 19th-century Michigan — steamboat traffic, fish merchants, and travelers moving between the Great Lakes used the waterway, and St. Clair served as a port of call. The Farmer's Home catered to horse traders and riverboat passengers who needed overnight accommodation.
The building remained a boarding house through 1937, when it was sold and renamed the Sheaffer Inn. The Sheaffer family subsequently sold the property to the Murphys, who reconfigured the building as an Irish pub with a dance floor and fireplace dining room, retaining the seven guest rooms. The Murphy family's renovations are credited with the current character of the establishment.
The building was fully restored and is recognized as one of the oldest operating inns in Michigan. The Keel, Port Huron's local paper, has documented the Murphy Inn's haunting as part of the Thumb Coast's paranormal history, describing it as a top-ten haunted location on the regional circuit.
Sources
The haunting at Murphy Inn centers on a single female figure. She wears a long dress or gown and has been observed in multiple areas of the building — in the hallways, in the guest rooms, and on the staircase. The Lancaster Room and the Devonshire Room are the rooms most associated with her presence.
The 99WFMK account, titled 'The Ghost Who Photo-Bombs Your Pictures,' describes a guest who took a photograph on the property and found a blurry female figure in the background — someone who was not visibly present when the photo was taken. The figure matched no guest or staff member and was dressed in period clothing inconsistent with modern fashion.
The Murphy Inn's haunting is characterized by the staff and paranormal commentators as benign. The female presence is described as inhabiting the inn rather than actively seeking interaction — a long-term occupant rather than an entity with unfinished business.
The building's history as a boarding house from 1836 forward means it housed an unknown number of guests over nearly two centuries. The identity of the woman observed has not been established through documentary research. The Keel notes that staff and long-term visitors have reported the presence consistently over many years, suggesting a stable rather than episodic phenomenon.
Note: The location file names this entry 'Murphy's Lamplight Inn' — the actual venue operating at 505 Clinton Ave, St. Clair is Murphy Inn. Murphy's Lamplight Inn is a separate property in Central Lake, Michigan (now the Blue Pelican Inn). The dancing couple in 1920s clothing belongs to the Central Lake location, not to St. Clair.
Notable Entities
Sleep in one of the seven restored rooms of Michigan's oldest continuously operating inn, a boarding house built in 1836 on the St. Clair River. The Lancaster Room and the Devonshire Room are the most frequently cited by guests who report the sensation of a female presence — a woman in a long dress or gown seen walking the halls and staircase. Check murphyinn.com for availability.
The Irish pub at Murphy Inn includes a dance floor, fireplace dining room, and bar in the historic 1836 building. The long history of the inn — originally the Farmer's Home, a stopping point for horse traders and riverboat passengers — gives the pub its character. Locals and overnight guests share the space.
See current room rates and availability at Murphy's Lamplight Inn.
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