402 South Lake Street

This old house has a wonderful history. According to current owner A.A., 'When merchant W.R. Ladd built his brick house in 1882, it was some distance from town. He probably hired early Miles City architect Byron Vreeland to design his brick home. Mr. Ladd sold his home to his former business partner, Walrond Salter Snell. Snell was an English immigrant who had first come to Miles City in 1878. Married to his childhood sweetheart, Mary Elizabeth Carter, Snell had been ranching near Hathaway for several years. However, the oldest of his six children were now school age so he moved into Miles City and bought the Ladd House. The Snells built the frame addition and added the wraparound porch about 1910. The house remained in the Snell family until 1984. While the mechanical systems have been modernized, the floor plan and much of the original character of the house remains.' A number of stories surround the house at this address. The current owner has experienced nothing herself, but says, 'A guest from Ohio was staying in my guest room. (Logical place!) She was awakened by the squeaking of bed springs as someone got out of her bed--which has no squeaky springs. She reported seeing a small boy walk into the closet, which used to be the connecting door between the back room and the front bedroom. Previous owners have mentioned hearing footsteps on the back stairs.' Another family, living the in house many years ago, had heard stories about the ghost, but hadn't experienced anything. With four young children, they were too busy to pay much attention to ghost stories! But after living in the house for about eighteen months, they decided to move. According to the mother of the family, D.F., the whole atmosphere of the house changed. 'We figured she [the ghost] enjoyed having the kids around and was upset that we were leaving.' Suddenly, upstairs doors began to slam closed for no reason. There was no one upstairs, and no breeze from open windows. The activity continued for a few weeks, and at that point, the family moved out. Rumors circulate that the female ghost in the house is Mrs. Snell.

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