Eloise Psychiatric Hospital

The story of Eloise dates back almost to when Michigan was admitted into the Union. In 1839, Wayne County established a farm and poorhouse that eventually expanded to cover a whopping 902 acres across 70 buildings. Today, nearly 30 years after the general hospital shuttered, that number has diminished to just eight buildings over roughly 50 acres.

In its heyday, 12,000 people cohabitated Eloise, Deighan says, some working at an on-site bakery or slaughterhouse, others enjoying themselves in the amusement hall. The complex had its own police and fire department, a post office, cattle herds, a greenhouse, a cannery and a tobacco field. It was such a substantial plot of land that at one point maintained its own zip code.

“It was its own city,” Deighan says during a recent tour of one the only occupied buildings on the site, the five-storey 150,000 sq ft Kay Beard building.

The building serves as the office for Wayne County’s senior services program and the county’s Head Start office. Wayne County is looking to sell the complex to monetize is unused assets, Deighan says, as it continues to work through resolving massive budgetary woes. Only a couple dozen employees are estimated to work at Eloise.

As time passed, unused buildings at the site were closed and subsequently razed. Eventually, large parcels of the site were sold to Ford Motor Company, while other pieces were developed into an 18-hole golf course. What previously existed as space for, say, the Eloise farmland, has since been replaced by a strip mall and condominiums. A cemetery used by the hospital, also named Eloise, is situated across the street.

Despite the successful adapted uses – and the objections of some to the facility’s status – the legend of Eloise as a place where high school kids once used to sneak into to scare themselves has persevered. (Deighan says no one has broken into the complex in years.)

A yet-to-be released horror movie was shot in 2014 at the site, attempting to capitalize on the Eloise folklore, which the website Haunted USA says can be attributed to the fact explorers “were rumored to have discovered jars of human body parts … and creepy snapshots of patients in the abandoned buildings that were torn down in the 1980s.”

It perhaps shouldn’t surprise, then, that “some have reported hearing strange moans, screams, and roars on the old grounds”, the website says. YouTube clips abound of fright-seekers at the premises.

And while Deighan may be confident that no one actually believes in the haunted tales, that isn’t entirely the case: a building employee who declined to give their name, as they weren’t authorized to speak with the media, says an occasional interaction with the paranormal isn’t unheard of.

“I’m serious,” the employee says with a hearty laugh, recalling an incident where a couple of children trotted up the nearby staircase only to turn around and report that a “guy was sitting on the steps”.

“He was in Bermuda shorts, and he was just sitting there,” the employee says. “They saw him, we didn’t see him. But there has been some shadows, you know – that’s it. I would love to talk to them.”

In the floor above the employee – a former patient ward, Deighan says – creepy vibes are undeniably present: dust and plaster are strewn about the vacant halls, with chairs, desks and old administrative items left behind in former offices and patient rooms.

History of Eloise

The Eloise began as the Wayne County Poorhouse, which opened in 1839 in the now defunct Nankin Township.

Nankin was a part of Wayne County, originally named Bucklin Township, and it included what are now the cities of Livonia, Inkster, Dearborn, Redford, Wayne and Westland.

Eloise was one of the first hospitals to use x-rays for diagnosis. It was also home to the first kidney dialysis unit in Michigan. The complex eventually expanded — spanning 902 acres, with more than 70 buildings.

The facility had a radium treatment for cancer patients, and the sanitarium was one of the first to use "open air" treatment for tuberculosis patients. Psychiatric patients underwent electroshock and insulin shock therapy.

After the Great Depression, the population of the complex started to decrease, as reports of violence, questionable conditions, misconduct and overall neglect surfaced.

Farm operations ceased in 1958, and the psychiatric division began to close in 1977 when the state took over. The main hospital closed in 1984.

Ghost stories

Visitors have reported odd occurrences on the hospital grounds for years after it was closed.

There have been reports of people finding medical waste and other strange items. Some have reported finding jars containing human body parts, as well as documents outlining strange medical procedures.

Paranormal investigators have conducted numerous investigations on the grounds. A group recently claimed to have seen a spirit of a woman wearing white, often seen on the upper floors and roof.

Last year, Detroit Paranormal Expeditions hosted several public tours of the facility. They also captured various pieces of evidence. Check it out here.

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