The property began as a poorhouse and farm in 1839 and, over time, grew to a sprawling complex with 76 buildings, railroad stations and its own police force. The site was virtually a city unto itself with a population in the thousands and even its own zip code.
The "Eloise," as it is known, was once Wayne County's largest psychiatric hospital. Named after the daughter of Detroit's postmaster, the asylum itself operated until 1979 when the last patients were finally relocated. The medical wing lasted until 1984 before it too finally closed.
The site is in the small town of Westland, a suburb of Detroit about 40 minutes from downtown.
While many of the original buildings are long gone, the asylum itself still stands, and countless, haunting tales come from those who visit it.
According to the HauntedUSA website:
"Explorers were rumored to have discovered jars of human body parts, documents outlining strange medical procedures, and creepy snapshots of patients in the abandoned buildings that were torn down in the 1980s. More recently, a spectral woman wearing white has been rumored to be seen in the upper floors and on the roof of the old D building."
"I think you could do retail on the frontage of Michigan Avenue, and I think you could do multiple family, single family or senior housing on the back side."
The "backside" apparently, is where the old cemetery is located. A spot reputed to be even more haunted than the asylum itself.
There are numerous accounts of spirit activity from all areas of the property. Ghostly apparitions, moans, growls and disembodied voices are regularly reported.
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