mental hospital tour traverse city

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Historic Asylum Tours

• Address: 830 Cottageview Dr, Ste 101, Traverse City, MI, 49684
• Phone: (231) 938-6150

Explore the rich history of the Former Traverse City State Hospital The Northern Michigan Asylum and The Village redevelopment are central to the history of Traverse City. We offer an array of tours that give enriching perspectives on one of Michigan’s most important historic sites. From Dr. Munson's "Beauty is Therapy" theory on patient care to the former uses of the structures on the property, our tours are designed to both enlighten and entertain. Tour offerings include daytime, evening, photography, and private tours. All tours include a walk through the amazing 1885 brick steam tunnels. To view our current tour schedule, and prices and to book your tour visit our website.

Taste of the Village ~ A History, Wine & Beer Tour

The Village at Grand Traverse Commons

Virtual Tour

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• 101 West Grandview Parkway, Traverse City, MI 49684
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Attraction:

Traverse City, Michigan : Mental Hospital Tour: Buildings and Tunnels

The Northern Michigan Asylum was open from the mid-1880s until 1989. Dozens of buildings scattered across 63 acres. The Asylum property has been converted into a mall, but special tours of the old buildings are available by appointment.

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Visitor Tips and News About Mental Hospital Tour: Buildings and Tunnels

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters . Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip .

The mental hospital tours still exist -- my wife and I were there for our honeymoon about 10/01/2019. You can see the tours currently offered at the facility's official website. We loved the tour!

Tours are not by appointment. They have daily tours and they cost $25. Well worth it for 2 hours. One of the highlights of my trip. If you get a chance to do the tour, do it.

Great tour, lots of info about engineering and architecture. If you want more information about patients and personal stories regarding the daily Ins and outs of the hospital -- do the Twilight Tour.

This place is awesome. Worth the price of a tour. You'll learn a ton and get to go into buildings that have been rehabbed. You also get to go into the tunnels.

The Traverse City State Hospital (formerly known as the Northern Michigan Asylum) is the last remaining Kirkbride-style asylum in Michigan, open from the mid-1880s until 1989, at which time every teenager in Traverse City and the surrounded areas descended on it with spray paint and enthusiasm. After dodging demolition by the state, the main building and outlying cottages are being renovated into shopping/dining/living spaces.

The grounds and buildings give off feelings of both extreme sadness and tranquility. A guided tour is available of some of the not-yet-refurbished buildings and of the tunnels that connected the main building to the outbuildings.

Eerie, interesting, and well worth the $25 ticket price. It's not your basic history lesson, for sure. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access -- lots of walking, uneven steps, dark places, lead based paint peeling; you'll have to sign a waiver to participate. The tour changes as more renovations are completed.

Also, one of the outlying buildings -- formerly a laundry for the hospital -- is now a wine tasting bar, and the bar is made of doors from the asylum patient rooms.

The hospital grounds are also home to the grave of the World Champion Cow of the Insane .

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‘Asylum After Dark’ tours to open at Traverse City’s former psychiatric hospital

• Updated: Sep. 16, 2020, 9:47 p.m. |
• Published: Sep. 16, 2020, 7:51 a.m.

The new October tour will be focused on Cottage #30, which is still in its original state.

• Tanda Gmiter | [email protected]

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The dark, crisp nights of October might be just the perfect time to be led slowly through one of the old brick buildings that are part of the former Northern Michigan Asylum - and hear stories about the people who used to live and work there.

The slightly creepy Cottage #30 will be home to the new “Asylum After Dark” tours, which will begin next month in part of the historic Village at Grand Traverse Commons development. Participants will be guided through four floors - from attic to basement - and get a taste of what life was like for residents of the old state hospital and those who cared for them. Vignettes from those years will be shared during the tour. And while we can’t spill exactly what stories will be told, be sure to listen closely for a horrifying tale about a glass jar full of bats.

The tour is deliberately not being billed as a “haunted” experience to undertake during the month-long countdown to Halloween, but if you do happen to sense something otherworldly, your tour guides likely won’t tell you that you’re wrong.

“The sights, sounds … and darkness will leave you wanting to explore more,” according to the event description. “Join us for a bonfire after your experience and take home an exclusive piece of asylum history.”

The event is slated to run Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in October. It includes:

• 30-minute guided experience – includes exclusive map and $5 off village merchandise
• Cost is $45 per person or $80 per couple, (Ages 18 & over ID required)
• Not wheelchair accessible

To reserve a ticket and see available dates and times, check the website here .

The original cream-colored brick work can be seen inside the now-empty buildings. Photo courtesy of the Village at Grand Traverse Commons.

Grand Traverse Commons runs a handful of historical and architectural tours year-round , taking advantage of several different buildings - and sometimes even tunnels - on the sprawling old hospital’s grounds. The gorgeous cream-brick Victorian Italianate buildings were constructed as a state-run asylum that opened in 1885 with innovative programming. It later was named the Traverse City State Hospital, where staff cared for patients for a century before it closed in the late 1980s. Now a mixed-use development, the huge main building and its wings have been renovated into condos, apartments and a shopping district that includes restaurants, a winery and a bakery. Many of the buildings are still in their original state and can be walked through on the tours.

For some time, staff at the Commons has been looking for a historically-accurate way to create a tour for all those clamoring for an October event.

“This is based in fact, stories that we have found from people who have worked here,” said Krystal Fluette, an office manager who handles the tour planning. “There are good descriptions. It stays true to the story of the Traverse City State Hospital.”

“It’s always been something that I have been trying to move forward. We’ve had a lot of interest in people wanting to do an October tour. It’s a great year to give people what they want.”

The main building and several others at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons have been renovated as part of a sprawling development. Photo courtesy of Loose Canon Photography .

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Traverse City State Hospital

Traverse city regional psychiatric hospital.

Established in 1881, Northern Michigan Asylum (Traverse City State Hospital) became the third psychiatric hospital in Michigan. Kalamazoo state Hospital (1859) and Pontiac State Hospital (1873) were becoming overcrowded and a third facility was needed. Perry Hannah, a lumber baron from Traverse City used his political influence to secure Traverse City as the location for the new hospital. Building 50 was the first building built and constructed according to the Kirkbride Plan in Victorian-Italianate style.

Dr. Thomas Kirkbride , a physician and early adapter of psychological care believed that a beautiful setting would be a vital part of therapy in helping people re-enter society. With limited drug options, care was not formalized, and therapy options were almost non-existent. Patients with birth defects or mental illnesses were often hidden away in basements or attics. They did not receive much social interaction. Dr. Kirkbride’s plan was to stop treating people like that and bring them into more peaceful and pleasing surroundings.

Twelve housing cottages and two infirmaries were built. These were to meet specific needs of male and female patients. The cottages to the south were for men and the cottages to the north were for women. Cottages 19 and 20 were patient infirmaries for patients recovering from surgery or contagious disease. The hospital eventually grew to 1.4 million square feet of space.

The most frequent reasons for entering the hospital included intemperance, ill health, post birth recovery, epilepsy. According to records at the hospital other reasons were business reversal, religious excitement, seduction, and nostalgia.

During outbreaks of tuberculosis, typhoid, diphtheria, influenza, and polio the hospital’s use was expanded to care for these patients. It was also used to train nursers, rehab for drug addicts and caring for the elderly.

Dr. James Decker Munson was the first Superintendent, serving from 1885 – 1924. Under Dr. Munson’s leadership the institution became the city’s largest employer.

Dr. Munson believed in the “beauty is therapy” and “work is therapy” philosophy. Patients at the hospital were treated with kindness and were well cared for. Restraints such as straitjackets were forbidden. Fresh flowers that were grown by patients in the hospital’s greenhouses were in abundance in patient area.

After Dr. Munson retired the James Decker Munson Hospital was established in 1926 on the grounds to honor him. The Hospital was operated by the state into the 1950s. A Portrait of Dr. Munson hangs inside the main lobby of what is now Munson Medical Center.

Learning Trades

The hospital was fully self-sufficient by providing the opportunity for patients to learn a trade and feel a sense of worth. Farming, furniture construction, fruit canning, and other trades were offered jobs for patients.

With the purchase of some dairy cows, the farm was started in 1885. It grew to include chickens, pigs, meat cows and many vegetable gardens in the following decade. In the early 1910’s-1930’ Colantha Walker was a world champion milk cow that lived on the farm. When she died, she was buried on the farm. Her grave is at the southern end of the hospital property. Near the Historic Barns Park is her gravesite.

Mental Health Industry Changing

In the 20’s and 30’s the hospital started moving from the “beauty is therapy” philosophy. By the 40’s invasive treatments including insulin shock, lobotomies and electroshock therapy were becoming standard part of patient’s treatment. By the late 40’s more than 30,000 electroshock treatments had been given by the hospital.

With the more invasive and violent treatment came a more combative patient population. Wall hangings, houseplants and small tables were being destroyed. The words of encouragement on the hospital walls were painted over with layers of lead paint.

The Hospital Closes

Also, in the 50’s with changes in the law and mental health care philosophies the institution started declining. The Farm closed in the 50’s and most of its buildings demolished in the 70’s. In 1963, Building 50’s main 1885 center wing was. The building was deemed a fire hazard and a new building was built in its place.

The hospital continued to decline and was closed in 1989, over 200 jobs were lost. The hospital had served over 50,000 patients. During that time, the hospital changed names several times, but most still refer to it as “The State Hospital.”

What to do with the Property?

The property had been split by then between Munson Hospital, Garfield Township, and others. The remaining buildings stood vacant for a decade. There was a lot of debate during that time of the best plans for reuse of the hospital grounds. The state transferred the property to the Grand Traverse Commons Redevelopment Corporation in 1993. The buildings with less historic value were demolished.

Many ideas for the redevelopment were proposed but nothing was ever acted on until 2000. The Minervini Group secured an agreement to renovate the property. They bought the property for $1 but have put over $60 million into renovation/restoration of the buildings and grounds.

Grand Traverse Commons

Kirkbride Hall is available for events. There are also luxurious accommodations for up to 10 in the Kirkbride Suite . Located in the 1885 Chapel Building, you will take a private elevator to a full furnished condominium. This 2700 square foot, 3 bedroom each with private bath is the perfect retreat for your stay in Traverse City. Plus, the perfect opportunity to explore the property.

There are still many buildings vacant and the infamous tunnels that connected all the buildings and were part of the state-of-the-art ventilation system left to explore. You can explore the retail area and most of the grounds on your own, but to see the best part historical tours are offered. Having been on these tours several times, I highly recommend you take one of the tours. Tickets are available at the B50 The Village Store in the Mercato where you will also find artifacts from the property. Below are pictures from one of the tours I have taken.

Many discoveries have been made during the restorations. One of the exciting ones was in the dining hall that is attached to Cottage 40 (a men’s cottage). There are two small cut outs on the wall where a discovery of a movie list written on the bricks. The two holes in the walls were a projection room. The space could seat up to 400 people and was used for meals and movies.

Historic Barn Park

The 25 acres Botanic Garden at Historic Barn Park is also available to visit. The property is owned by Garfield Township Parks and Recreation. The Visitor Center is open April – October staffed by volunteers. You can choose a docent led tour (available April – October), or year round a self-guided audio tour . There are also programs and events in which you can participate. Event space is available for weddings and other events.

Nature Area

The trails at the Botanic Garden connect to the trails behind the State Hospital grounds. The 140-acre   Grand Traverse Commons Natural Area is home to miles of unpaved trails most named and color coded. I love these trails and area a favorite of mine because you decided how long of a walk you take by choosing the various trails or walking them all! Hiking, biking, nature watching, and cross-country skiing are enjoyed at this park. Dogs are required to be on leashes.

There are hills, streams, meadows, and wetlands. You will find a man-made structure from 1894. The reservoir from the Traverse City State hospital is on this network of trails. The concrete structure is covered in brightly colored graffiti, it stands out against the natural surroundings. You may also find a downed tree that has been painted many times. Known as the Hippie Tree, folklore says if you enter it exactly right it is a portal to hell. As you can see in the picture I stood in the center and am still here to tell you about it. 😊 Traverse City State Hospital Trails

There is a lot to do and see at the old Traverse State Hospital. It is truly a wonderful place to visit repeatedly. I discover something new with each visit. You will never get bored visiting the Commons and the Barn.

Historical Marker Information

Era: Industry and Invention (1875-1915)

Registered: 1985

Erected: 1985

Location: Division & Eleventh, Traverse City –

GPS Coordinates: Lat: 44.75514400 / Long: -85.63598100

Description: The Northern Michigan Asylum (now the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital) was organized in 1881. It opened on November 30, 1885, with forty-three residents. Dr. J. D. Munson was the facility’s superintendent for its first thirty-nine years. The original buildings served five hundred residents. By 1959 the facility had 1.4 million square feet of floor space and housed 2,956 residents. The institution’s farms and its processing and manufacturing facilities covered over a thousand acres and made it nearly self-sufficient. Between 1885 and 1985 it served over fifty thousand residents. After 1960, with advances in treatment and community services, the need for inpatient facilities declined. In 1985, 150 beds served the area’s acute and intensive psychiatric needs.

Learn more about the rich history of the Northwest Lower Peninsula .

Marisa Fancy along with her husband and four children dreamt of moving “Up North”. They had vacationed for years in northern Michigan and in 1995 they finally made the move.

The family was always out exploring, but with 4 kids there was some limitations on what they could do. Marisa discovered the amazing network of trails in Northern Michigan after Steve died and she would walk for miles. The trails provided her with peace, comfort and solitude at a difficult time in her life. Later, after meeting Guy who would become her second husband, she learned to golf and found another passion she could enjoy in beautiful Northern Michigan.

Marisa has been the family historian, writer, and poet for as long as she can remember. She has always loved to write and has now found a creative outlet for it other than family. You can read her articles in Adventures in Northern Michigan , Northern Michigan History and Golf Up North .

Traverse City, MI (49684)

Becoming partly cloudy after some morning rain. High around 65F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Partly cloudy. Low 41F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Updated: May 1, 2024 @ 3:29 am

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An aerial view of the Commons bathed in alpenglow in January 2021.

• Special to the Record-Eagle/The Minervini Group, LLC

Top, Old Center circa 1920 was the administrative offices for the Traverse City State Hospital. Above, an aerial view of the Commons bathed in alpenglow in January 2021.

• Photos special to the Record-Eagle/The Minervini Group, LLC

A corridor in a former men’s cottage on the south end of campus in January 2021.

Private tours unlock secrets of the former psychiatric hospital

Allison Batdorff

Features editor

• Author email
• Feb 19, 2021

TRAVERSE CITY — Confined to your family bubble? It might be the right time to “Escape to the Asylum” and discover the former Traverse City State Hospital’s stories via a private tour.

Prior to the pandemic, 15,000 people toured the shuttered psychiatric hospital annually in groups of up to 25 people. Private, two-hour tours offer family groups of up to five people a safe opportunity to look deeply at a vital part of the community’s past.

“One-on-one experiences go into places not usually available in tours catering to groups,” said property manager Krystal Fluette.

Tours explore the site’s Victorian-Italianate architecture and more than 100 years of social and medical history. Guides, each with a personal connection to the site, share firsthand knowledge and hospital lore.

Vanessa Vance’s father served as hospital superintendent in the 1970s when 1,000 patients were admitted annually. She grew up on hospital grounds where a “Beauty is Therapy” philosophy prevailed.

“A lot of people take tours because they want to hear horror stories,” Vance said. “But I like to dispel myths. I want to be factual. The truth is, it was a very progressive place when it opened.”

Personal tours showcase multiple floors of unrenovated campus buildings and its subterranean infrastructure, namely, the 1883 brick steam tunnel. Craftsmen of the day had only rustic tools to create the collection of buildings designed by Detroit architect Gordon W. Lloyd. Tour guides reveal little known facts, such as more than 8 million bricks were used in the overall construction of the facility.

Guide Catherine Goodwin was raised a few blocks from the Michigan Historic Site. She said the hospital opened at a time when families hid away the mentally ill. The Traverse City facility brought the sufferers out into a setting designed for compassionate care.

The last two tours Goodwin conducted were for Traverse City residents curious about the hospital’s community legacy. She said touring guests are often surprised to learn of the vital role it played in Traverse City’s development. More than 1,000 people were employed by the facility in the 1970s, making it the community’s largest employer for several years.

The hospital was slated for demolition in 1963, but its fate was debated by the state and community for 30 years before it was granted a second life. The Minervini Group purchased it for $1 in 2002 and went about transforming the 63-acre campus and its buildings into themixed-use Village at Grand Traverse Commons.

“How fortunate we still have this,” Goodwin said. “They had a vision of how we could take the buildings and turn them into assets.”

Tours follow COVID guidelines and are limited to family members of the same household. The cost for the private guided experience is $200 for families of up to five people and $25 per person for additional family members. About 75 percent of the mile-long walking tour takes place outdoors. Guests should dress for the weather.

Email [email protected] to book an Escape to the Asylum private tour.

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Before and after photos of Traverse City's converted mental hospital

Update: Tours now available of untouched building

Saw an article by Matt Troutman   of the Traverse City Record-Eagle where he reports that tours through the last remaining undeveloped portion of the former state mental hospital and its labyrinth of tunnels are now available.

People lucky enough to land a spot on a tour will start in the Mercato and walk outside toward the north wing of Building 50. Many of the patient rooms are open for exploration, though people are warned to be aware of the peeling lead paint and must put protective covers over their shoes. Once outside Building 50, the tour will go underground into the brick-lined tunnels that stretch beneath the hospital. The tour ends where it started: inside the new, redeveloped portion of Building 50. Future tour dates will be announced on The Village at Grand Traverse Commons Facebook page. They cost $25, with the proceeds going toward maintaining and replanting the former arboretum.

------------

The transformed Northern Michigan Asylum has been up and running as the Village at Grand Traverse Commons for several years.

Ray Minervini has been working on restoring the old state mental hospital for more than a decade.

You could call it a mega- fixer-upper.

Minervini told us back in 2006 that the work being done on the site "equates to the largest rehab project for sure in the Midwest."

The former state mental hospital in Traverse City is a castle-like compound of about 27 buildings.

They were closed in 1989 and vacant for a decade after.

In 2002, Minervini bought all 63-acres of the property for just $1.

After putting in over $60 million, it's now a showpiece for the area. Once it's complete, the owners expect that approximately 1,800 people will live or work there.

Curbed.com's Chris Berger put together a post that shows off what is now swanky "homes, offices, and independent businesses like a bakery, a cheesecake store, and a wine bar."

With its seemingly well-adjusted residents and shoppers, alluring historic architecture, and ample green space, the Village at Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City, Michigan, resembles a saccharine Thomas Kincade print come to life. So it's hard to imagine that for a century this surreal setting was home to some of the state's most mentally disturbed residents.

One of the best parts of his piece are some split screen images that show before and after images.

For more information on how they rehabilitated this piece of history - check out our Environment Report story from 2006 .

- Chris Zollars, Michigan Radio Newsroom

9 Things You Didn’t Know About the Old Northern Michigan Asylum

(Snlaverty via Wikimedia Commons)

By Lisa Green

Shopping, history, good food, spooky stories—and so much more. These are nine things that every visitor (and local) should know about the Village at Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City.

MICHIGAN—Once a psychiatric hospital, now an upscale shopping and dining experience, the old Northern Michigan Asylum grounds are an unforgettable stop on any Up North road trip.

If the name doesn’t ring a bell, that may be because the place has been known by many of them over the last century or so: Northern Michigan Asylum, Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital, Traverse City State Hospital, Northern Michigan State Hospital, and today, the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. And like the list of names, the campus has a history that runs pretty deep. 

From 1885 through 1989, the Northern Michigan Asylum treated about 50,000 patients of all ages—initially just for those with cognitive impairments, and later to also help those with other conditions like menopause, epilepsy, autism, substance abuse, and so-called “hysteria.”

Some of that history is pretty dark. In the early days of the hospital, mental health treatment was a disaster—and some of the treatment was so inhumane that it bordered on torture. Stories of forced commitments and slipshod conditions for patients are common, and they likely serve as the impetus for stories of so-called “hauntings” that have scared visitors there for decades. 

Regardless of whether those ghost stories are true, there are few sites in Michigan that carry as much history as the old Northern Michigan Asylum.

Here are nine things to know:

1. The hospital thrived largely because the lumber industry died. 

For about 30 years before the Northern Michigan Asylum opened in 1885, Traverse City was known almost exclusively as a lumber town—one of many in Michigan to take advantage of abundant white pine in the state in the 1800s. Perry Hannah, a lumber baron now considered the “Father of Traverse City,” bought a sawmill there in 1851, and the rest of the city followed.

And if not for that sawmill, the hospital buildings likely would not exist today. 

In the late 1800s, Michigan had only two psychiatric hospitals: one in Kalamazoo, and another in Pontiac. Hannah, who reportedly long predicted the decline of the local lumber industry, was among the leading proponents of opening a third hospital in Traverse City. He wanted to do anything to keep the local economy afloat, and he viewed the hospital as a convenient life raft.

And history shows that Hannah was spot on. Michigan’s lumber industry dried up near the turn of the century and Traverse City State Hospital went on to become the city’s largest employer.

2. There’s a reason for the cream-colored bricks. 

The distinct bricks that line the Village at Grand Traverse Commons weren’t so much an aesthetic choice—they were among the only local bricks that were available at the time.

Between 1874 and 1907, James Markham produced the bricks at a company along the shores of nearby Cedar Lake. And for a time, it was the largest brick factory in northern Michigan.

All told, more than 8 million “Markham Bricks” were used to build the hospital—a remarkable feat considering only hand tools and mule power were used to put it all together. 

Markham bricks were also used to build two homes for the two master masons who were hired to build the asylum. They still stand today on the corner of Division and W. Seventh Street.

3. These are Michigan’s last “Kirkbride” buildings.

Kirkbride emphasized privacy and comfort for patients, and his designs always came with expansive landscaping plans to incorporate sunlight and fresh air as therapy. Between 1845 and 1910, a total of 73 Kirkbride hospitals were constructed. Only about half of them still exist today. 

Kirkbride buildings are reportedly the inspiration for Arkham Asylum, the fictional psychiatric hospital in the Batman series that houses villains like the Joker. Another Kirkbride building in Oregon was the primary filming location for the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest .

4. The hospital didn’t use straitjackets. 

Both Kirkbride and the hospital’s first superintendent, Dr. James Decker Munson, believed in the “Beauty is Therapy” and “Work is Therapy” treatment models. And that meant no restraints. Instead, patients could freely roam the grounds, use the hiking trails, and enjoy the beautiful aesthetics of the manicured grounds, interior design, and architecture as a form of treatment.

5. It’s one of the largest redevelopment projects in the western hemisphere.

Detroit area transplant Ray Minervini is the brains behind the idea to redevelop the old asylum. Businesses began to open in the early 2000s—and the full project was initially expected to be finished over the course of 10 to 15 years. Various setbacks (like a global pandemic) have stalled that progress. Some of the redevelopment work remains ongoing.

Minervini is said to have been inspired to preserve the site after the demolition of many other historic buildings in Detroit—and he has since reportedly invested much of his life savings into the project. 

6. It’s a foodie destination. 

In a way, the “beauty is therapy” model still rings true at the old asylum—just as long as you consider delicious, Instagrammable meals to be a form of therapy. The award-winning restaurants there serve a diverse array of cuisine, often made with locally-sourced ingredients.

Trattoria Stella was one of the first restaurants to arrive on the scene, turning the basement into a high-end Italian dining experience. Spanglish has traditional Mexican recipes with locally sourced ingredients and sustainable culinary practices. Sugar 2 Salt serves up communal farm-to-table brunches. Higher Grounds Trading Co. focuses on fair-trade and organic coffee that you can feel good about pouring into your cup. Earthen Ales is the on-campus brewery, and Left Foot Charley is a wine bar that works with local vineyards to produce award-winning wines.

7. There’s a year-round farmer’s market.

Freezing winters in Northern Michigan aren’t always the best time for a farmer’s market—but the Village at Grand Traverse Commons has solved the issue by serving as the toasty warm, indoor home to Traverse City’s weekly farmers markets on Saturday mornings from November through April. The market heads back outdoors on Monday afternoons between May and October.

8. Some say it’s haunted.

After the hospital shut down in 1989, the campus sat abandoned for longer than a decade. During that time, urban explorers did a lot of trespassing—and many of them got spooked. Eventually, the campus garnered a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Michigan.

Visitors have long reported an eerie sensation in some of the less developed portions of the campus, as well as the trail system that surrounds the campus. Some have claimed to have seen apparitions in hallways, and ghosts of long-departed patients looking down from windows.

Over the years, psychics have even claimed to communicate with patients who had died there. And when Trattoria Stella first opened, early employees reportedly saw ghostly activity inside. 

Of course, there’s no definitive proof of any paranormal activity at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. And as the renovations have continued to transform some of the spookier old buildings into higher-end tourist destinations, the alleged ghost sightings seem to have waned. 

9. There may be a portal to hell on the grounds. 

Seriously. We’re not making this stuff up. 

The “Hippie Tree,” as it is known locally, is tucked in the woods behind the hospital campus. Visitors will probably have to ask a local resident for directions in order to find it quickly—but they’ll know it when they see it. It’s huge, and its branches are painted in psychedelic colors.

Some say the tree got its name from the so-called hippies that used the tree as a meet-up spot. There’s no clear consensus on how it got started, but for whatever reason, locals have also long believed that there’s some type of supernatural, otherworldly power associated with the site. 

One story—possibly cooked up by the hippies said to have hung out beneath the tree—dictates that walking in a certain direction around the area can activate a so-called “portal to hell.” Other, less ominous wives’ tales say that a visit can bring good luck.  

‘Gander Editor Kyle Kaminski contributed to this story.

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Tour a former hospital, asylum, or prison

These historic buildings have come back to life as hotels, museums, and distilleries

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Created by Roadtrippers - February 12th 2021

H ospitals, asylums, and prisons are not usually places people opt to visit while on vacation. But all over the country these historic, imposing structures are being repurposed as luxury hotels, apartment complexes, or academic campuses. Some have been renovated or restored, while others sit in a state of arrested decay. Guided or audio tours address the often-complicated histories and highlight the people who lived and died within the thick stone walls—and spirits of all kinds are helping to bring life back into these forgotten spaces.

Central State Hospital Museum

Milledgeville, GA

Central State Hospital opened in 1836 as the “State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum” in Milledgeville, located two hours southeast of Atlanta. Central State developed a notorious reputation, and has sat mostly abandoned for decades. Tours are available through the Milledgeville Visitor Center and held two days per month.

Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary

Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary opened in 1896, and at the time of its closing in 2008, it was the oldest operating prison in Tennessee. Brushy reopened as a tourist destination in 2018 and while it has its fair share of macabre tales, visitors will find an entirely different kind of spirit here: The Brushy Mountain Distillery produces 10 unique flavors of moonshine and offers tastings to the public.

Joliet Prison

From 1858 to 2002, the huge complex in Joliet, Illinois—with its 24 buildings and surrounding 25-foot-tall limestone wall—housed thousands of prisoners. Today, guided tours provide a glimpse into the prison’s complicated history. There's something here for everyone, including history buffs, film enthusiasts, and fans of the paranormal. Several movies and TV shows were filmed at the prison, including The Blues Brothers , Saw II , Let’s Go to Prison , and Prison Break .

Historic Cook County Hospital

Half a century ago, Cook County Hospital was treating more than 100,000 patients each year. Its emergency room was one of the busiest in the world and its operating rooms were among the first to try risky, innovative surgical techniques. Today, visitors to Chicago can check into the sprawling old Cook County Hospital thanks to a massive rehabilitation and redevelopment that has transformed the 1914 Beaux-Arts building. The vibrant complex now includes two Hyatt hotels, a food hall featuring Chicago cuisine, and an in-hotel museum that highlights the hospital’s history.

Ohio State Reformatory

Mansfield, OH

The Ohio State Reformatory , located in Mansfield, Ohio, opened in 1896 and housed more than 155,000 inmates during its nearly hundred years in operation. In 1993, just three years after it closed, the prison welcomed inmates once again—fictional residents that populate the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption . The prison reopened as a museum in 1995 and proceeds from tours and events help fund grounds maintenance and structural improvements.

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, was designed by architect Richard Andrews following the Kirkbride plan and constructed between 1858 and 1881. The largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America opened to patients in 1864. Reaching a peak of 2,400 patients in the 1950s, the facility closed in 1994, and is now open for history and ghost tours.

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

Richardson-olmstead campus.

The Richardson Olmsted Campus , once home to the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, comprises 13 buildings: Three have been repurposed into a luxury hotel and the remaining 10 are still in a state of suspended ruin, abandoned since 1974. Public tours take visitors through two of the vacant buildings and into a renovated corridor of Hotel Henry. But more than offering a stunning before-and-after comparison, exploring the Richardson Olmsted Campus also provides an intimate glimpse into the complicated history of mental health care in the U.S.

Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison, operational from 1829 until 1971. The prison was one of the first examples of what would become known as the "Pennsylvania System" of incarceration, a system that encouraged separate confinement of prisoners. Now open as a museum, visitors can take self-guided or guided tours.

Eastern State Penitentiary

Philadelphia, PA

Burlington County Prison

The Burlington County Prison , located in Mount Holly, New Jersey, was designed not only to minimize escapes, but also to serve as a space to reform inmates “through religious instruction, education, and vocational training.” Operating from 1811 until 1965, the Burlington County Prison was the oldest continuously-used prison in the U.S. at the time it closed and it reopened as a museum in 1966.

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Le Monastère des Augustines

For nearly 400 years—long before this site was a destination wellness hotel— Le Monastère des Augustines served as a cloister and hospital for Augustinian sisters. During the first half of the 19th century, the sisters also welcomed approximately 1,400 orphaned or abandoned children into their space. In the 1990s, the sisters decided to create a wellness hotel and museum; Le Monastère des Augustines officially opened in 2015.

The Village at Grand Traverse Commons

Traverse City, MI

The Northern Michigan Asylum, later called the Traverse City State Hospital, opened in 1885, six decades before psychiatric drugs were first used. It provided mental healthcare for 104 years before it closed in 1989. Over the last two decades, the former hospital has been restored and transformed into luxury apartments, restaurants, and shops. What was the largest employer in Traverse City for 75 years is once again an essential part of the community, and it’s one of the largest historic adaptive reuse developments in the U.S.

When the Old Idaho Penitentiary first opened its doors in 1872, it took in the worst criminals in the West—including women and children as young as 10, simply because female- and juvenile-specific facilities didn’t yet exist. It closed in 1973 and today operates as a museum and National Historic Site. Several buildings have weathered away over time, leaving little more than the structure’s crumbling frame.

Old Idaho Penitentiary

Hot lake springs hotel.

The Hot Lake Springs Hotel in La Grande, Oregon, was featured in a 2001 episode of The Scariest Places on Earth . The Colonial Revival hotel is near the 8-acre Hot Lake, which is endowed by underground springs bubbling up a half-million gallons of water every day. The average temperature of the lake is a toasty 200 degrees Fahrenheit and it's been thought to have healing properties.

Banner Photo Credit: Alexandra Charitan

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Traverse City State Hospital: A Mixture of Fascination and Heebie-Jeebies

Every morning, my elementary school bus would drive through the property. This was before the building restorations began. I remember feeling this strange pull towards the buildings as we passed shattered windows and stained yellow brick. The bars over all the windows frightened me and yet I found myself unable to pull my eyes away.

At such a young age I really didn’t know what I was riding past. I only knew that I felt two things: fascination and heebie-jeebies.

Photo by Allixandria G.

Later I learned that this was once the site of the Traverse City State Hospital – Or, for the less PC version: The Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane . This asylum was constructed in 1885 and held around fifty-thousand patients of all ages throughout its operation, until finally closing down in 1989. The founder of the State Hospital implemented a philosophy of “Work is Therapy” and created a place where patients participated in the operation of farms and other businesses within the grounds as part of their rehabilitation.

However, during this time period, not much was known about medicine and mental health. Patients were admitted for things like autism, dyslexia, epilepsy, addiction, homosexuality, and hysteria. Essentially anyone who did not behave “normally” was sent to the State Hospital. Children as young as 5 years old were sent here, only permitted to see their families one Sunday each month ( if their families showed up at all ). The hospital was also utilized during outbreaks of tuberculosis, typhoid, polio, and other diseases.

The forms of keeping patients under control were highly questionable. Lobotomies were performed in the early years, until drugs like Thorazine were made available.

People were beaten and locked alone in empty rooms. There are even stories of murder and rape, though its hard to confirm details due to the hush-hush nature of the patients and employees of the building. Needless to say, The Traverse City State Hospital is shrouded in darkness.

Eventually, the philosophies regarding mental health began to change, which led to the closing of the Traverse City State Hospital. The building sat, boarded up and frozen in time for many years. Some buildings were demolished and many fell victim to trespassers and vandals. In 2002 the property was purchased and work began on restoring and repurposing the buildings.

Today, it is the site of some great shopping and dining. There are also condos, office spaces, and a senior living center among other things.

While much work has been done to update the space, there are still a number of buildings left abandoned.

It wasn’t until many years after those bus rides that I actually got to take time to walk around the buildings. There are still many people who break in and  experience the inside of the abandoned hospital . As much as I would LOVE to do this, I did’t quite feel like getting arrested on this day, so I stuck to the outside and peeked in the windows when I could.

Walking through the property, you can’t help but feel overcome with a heaviness. Imagine the children’s faces peeking out the windows, knowing that they would never be free again. Imagine the screams as people were forced to take medicines that turned them into living zombies. Imagine the young women breaking windows and using the glass shards to attempt suicide.

It’s hard to really imagine what happened in this place. People who were admitted to the Traverse City State Hospital as children report still having nightmares from their experiences. Here is Ron’s account of his time at the State Hospital. It’s just chilling.

And yet, it’s incredibly fascinating. To think that patients under these conditions were able to work and make this institution completely self-sustaining. To think of every bit of history held within the faded buildings. To think of all the medical advancements we have made since this time. To think of the development the city is making, turning these buildings into something beautiful and new.

If you wish to explore the grounds of the Traverse City State Hospital, there are many different things to see. Here are some unrestored highlights:

The Cottages

They are easily identified by the shattered windows, boarded up doors and bright red “KEEP OUT” spray paint. Respect the “No Trespassing” signs to avoid being arrested and prosecuted.

Building 65 – A Service/Storage Building

This building is tucked in the back of the property. If you follow Yellow Drive until it turns into a dirt road you will find this building. Completely covered in graffiti, this building will hold your attention for hours. You are able to go inside, but be very very careful, as the roof is caving in and the ground is covered in debris.

The Hippie Tree

Filled with urban legends galore, the hippie tree was once a gigantic tree that stood tall in the woods outside the Traverse City State Hospital. A few years ago it was struck by lightning and now lays in three pieces, covered in layer upon layer of colorful spray paint. One story says that the walking around the Hippie Tree in the correct way opens a portal to Hell. Another story claims that two young boys were murdered here. And some claim that this is not even the original Hippie Tree. Me? I just enjoyed getting to climb and play on it.

There are also many things to see and do within the restored areas of the old Traverse City State Hospital. Here are some suggestions:

Hiking Trails

With the recent development of the property came some pretty beautiful hiking trails. These will take you to some other notable parts of the State Hospital, including a freshwater spring!

Mercato Shops

There are a number of small boutique shops within the halls of Building #50 and around the hospital grounds. You can purchase goods like fur coats, artwork, flowers, and Michigan souvenirs. Or, if you’re like me you can window shop and peruse through the small book store.

Restaurants

There is no possible way to go hungry while exploring the Traverse City State Hospital. Between the bakeries and coffeehouses to the wineries and high-end Italian restaurants, there will be something to satisfy both your taste buds and your price range. I recommend getting the Burrata at Trattoria Stella .

Have you ever visited a place that both fascinated you and gave you the heebie-jeebies? Tell me about it in the comment section below!

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22 Comments

Never heard about it… It looks so cool anyway!!

It’s especially cool in the fall, when you get all the fallen leaves.

Wow, this is both fascinating and heartbreaking. Each time I stop to think about how we used to (and sometimes, sadly, still) treat people who seem “different” without taking the time to understand them, I am disheartened yet hopeful that we won’t make the same mistakes again.

Great post, Brianna.

We’ve learned along the way, but still have some distance to cover, huh?

I like that businesses have reclaimed some of this building. Although I’m not sure how I’d feel sipping wine with all that heavy history all around.

Yeah it totally floors me that people choose to live there now! I could never sleep with all the ghost stories that surround the place!!

Every once in a while, I have the opportunity to work flights with Traverse City layovers. Though I’ve never taken advantage of one, I’ve suddenly gotten much more interested in the idea. This place sounds like it is a mixture of interesting, terrifying, creepy and sad. I’d love to visit the site and perhaps do a bit of hiking afterwards!

Traverse City is a beautiful place! I highly recommend nabbing one of those flights 😉

I used to work at a hospital that was previously called Hospital for Incurables, but it catered to patients suffering from brain injuries or road traffic accidents. Never thought of how it was back then in the olden days until I read your post. They’re like scenes from an old movie.

Wow. That must have been an impactful experience. I can’t imaging working with people in those conditions :/

That’s so creepy! I have never heard of the Traverse City State Hospital but how sad to hear about how the patients were mistreated. The hiking looks nice, though. And I would have to visit Trattoria Stella because it’s my name!

Heebie-jeebies, indeed! I love scaring myself with stuff like this. I can’t imagine living like that…but American Horror Story sure did a good job of getting close! Cool post – I love reading about things that are off the beaten path and a little bit (or it this case a LOT) different 🙂

Reading about the Northern Michigan Mental Asylum, sent a chill up my spine, the remains of the abandoned hospital sound so eerie and one can almost hear the shrieks of the helpless patients who were incarcerated there. Lovely piece of writing, touched my heart.

Oh i loove such creepy places. They have this very special atmosphere!

Right? A little creepy…a little cool.

Wow that sounds creepy, to be sure. Looks like a place that the Ghost Adventures crew should visit! haha I’ve never really been to an abandoned building like that especially with this type of history, so it was interesting to read your account. Funny how some of it is now shops and eateries… 😉 But it looks cool!

I’m pretty sure they have had paranormal investigations done there. *shudder*

[…] I often seem to be drawn to places with a bit of a dark history. In Michigan, I love exploring the old mental hospital in Traverse City, taking in the frozen images and picturing its history. In Mansfield, Ohio, there’s the Ohio […]

Never heard about this! But it looks awesome. I should definitely come here. What would be the best season?

Autumn is always fun because the leaves are changing and beautiful!

Never heard of this place but from the pictures it looks amazing.

This hospital was actually one that treated the patients humanely, “Beauty is Therapy” was the motto. Straight jackets were forbidden. People were absolutely admitted for every reason, but as a whole this facility was on the cutting edge of mental treatment. Including the introduction of psychotropic drugs in the late 1950s that greatly reduced the population here, It’s a beautiful place, but the patients were treated with as much dignity as possible, The colorful hippie tree isn’t actually the original one. The “real” hippie tree is closer to the building and was considered a “gate to hell” by the patients there because they could hear people in the tunnels below speaking and thought it was “hell”. That tree was as far as the staff allowed patients to go unattended on the grounds. I was actually there for the extended tour today and our guides father was the director of the hospital from 1973-1985. So while this place is eerily beautiful, the nightmarish treatment patients at many other facilities received was not done here.

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I’m Brianna and I’m possibly the funniest person I know. I’m a total goofball who loves to travel. I fell in love with the world in 2007, when my family and I moved to Sydney, Australia. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to see the world. I'm an ordinary adventurer here to show you how the average person can travel the world.

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Watch CBS News

Old mental institutions are turning into apartments and hotels: "This would have been a men's 'most disturbed' ward"

December 14, 2019 / 12:04 PM EST / CBS News

More than 250 mental institutions were built across America between the mid-1800s and the early 20th century. A small number of those old asylums are still around today, and some are being repurposed as apartments, hotels and even the new headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security.

One of the most significant transformations is in a city in northern Michigan, where CBS News correspondent Kenneth Craig got an inside look.

The massive center of the old Traverse City State Hospital, nearly a quarter of a mile from end to end, used to be called Building 50. Hallways that once held committed patients are now lined with homes.

"This would have been a men's 'most disturbed' ward," said developer Ray Minervini Jr. "Each one of these doorways was a 100-square-foot patient room." 

Now,  they are condominiums .

Minervini and his father are responsible for that transformation. "It was a giant risk. It was something that nobody had ever attempted before," Minervini said. "But the idea was that there's an opportunity here … to save an old building that apparently nobody else was willing to step up to try to save it."

Minervini said his father's vision was to transform the abandoned institution into a place where people could work, shop, eat and even live. Asked what kind of people, he said, "I think they're out-of-the-box thinkers. I mean, if you say, 'Hey, I want to move into an old asylum,' you're thinking differently than the typical person. Right? … because they were able to see the underlying value and that was going to be preserved and reused."

Chris Payne, a trained architect-turned-photographer, spent six years visiting 70 mental institutions in 30 states. They were left abandoned after the advent of modern medicine and a shift toward deinstitutionalization.

"These are the largest buildings of their time. They dominated the landscape, and there was nothing like them before," Payne said. "They were an American invention." His book " Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals " showcases how time stood still when the buildings were emptied out.

"I saw toothbrushes, rooms that had been left behind as if people just left that day and never came back, operating theaters, movie theaters, bowling alleys," he recalled. "Sadly, most of the places I photographed are no longer there. … When I was working, I felt a strong sense of ownership and proprietorship, as perhaps the final official documenter."

The asylums of its time weren't designed to be frightening. Instead, the hope was to help heal patients with their beauty: lots of light, open spaces and sprawling grounds – a far cry from the fictionalized versions in film and TV, where they are often depicted as creepy.

"I think the creepiness comes from the era of architecture, and then when the buildings are shuttered or closed down, the life goes away," Minervini said. "They become the perfect backdrop for, you know, horror stories and things like that."

Over the course of 17 years, the Minervini family redeveloped more than half of the Traverse City campus. "These like 100-square-foot rooms have to be made larger for most of our residential uses," Minervini said.

But there are still a handful of buildings that haven't been touched. Minervini sometimes walks people through the empty spaces, trying to convince them it could be a good place to live.

"They had to sign a waiver that they were entering a space with toxic materials," he said. "Those people that didn't run out of the building screaming were the ones that said, 'Hmm,' you know, they had a vision."

Susan Kraus, originally from New York, was one of the first residents. "I thought it fit my personality. It was just perfect. I'd finally found my home," she said. Kraus' apartment has her own private spire and a view from the top of building.

Asked if she had any reservations about moving into a former asylum, she said she didn't. "Even though I do believe in the paranormal and I think it's possible that there are other worldly creations out there, but no, I had none at all," she said.

And neither did the team behind the Hotel Henry, who reimagined the former Buffalo State Hospital as a hotel and conference center . In Columbia, South Carolina, developers are converting what used be a state asylum into one of the largest downtown mixed-use real estate projects in the nation.

"We had no business doing this, but perseverance and enough people fighting on our behalf made it all possible," Minervini said.   A three-bedroom condo in the former asylum in Traverse City recently sold for nearly $800,000. Tours are also offered to non-residents. So far this year, 19,000 people have visited.

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Traverse City State Hospital Extended Tripod Photography Tour (Sanity Check)

• By [email protected] in Architecture , Unique Experiences

Last year, I really enjoyed visiting the deserted buildings of Pripyat , Ukraine in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.  So, when I heard about the Traverse City State Hospital Extended Tripod Photography Tour with a professional photographer at the deserted buildings of the Traverse City State (Mental) Hospital, I had to go.  These tours only run a couple times per year, so it was lucky that it would occur during my visit to Michigan in the Springtime.

The Traverse City State Hospital was first built in the 1880’s and was totally deserted by the 1980’s.  The Traverse City State Hospital has been re-purposed as “The Village at Grand Traverse Commons”.  Many of the buildings have been renovated and converted into apartments, shops, and restaurants.  There was a farmers market on the Saturday we visited.

There were 17 tourists, a guide, and his brother, “the caboose” for the tour group.  The tour consisted of visiting 4 deserted buildings and an old steam tunnel.

The attics were dusty and deserted:

It’s common for youngsters to break into the buildings.  We found evidence of this by graffiti, empty beer cans, and condom wrappers.

2 of the buildings we visited were abated for lead paint and asbestos.

Other buildings were filled with dangerous materials like crumbling 30% lead paint.

I’d love to see these buildings on a foggy day.

All of the building complexes were heated by steam, and there is a huge network of steam pipes below.

An exclusive visit of the “Extended” tour is the children’s ward, which was also used as a tuberculosis hospital.  It was filled with colorful paint.

Overall, the “tour” wasn’t much of a tour.  It was more like a guy letting us into locked buildings and letting us run around and take pictures for 45-60 minutes.  There was virtually no narration.  If you’re interested in this place, I’d recommend a 2 hour history tour along with the 2 hour (not extended) photo tour rather than the Traverse City State Hospital Extended Tripod Photography Tour.

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• Abandoned Buildings , Extended Photography Tour , Mental Hospital , North America , The Village at Grand Traverse Commons , Traverse City , USA

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A Place for Experiences

Welcome to the village at grand traverse commons.

We invite you to come experience The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, w here one of the largest historic preservation and adaptive reuse redevelopments in the country is underway. A beautiful solution to urban sprawl, The Village is the unique renovation of dozens of historic buildings formerly known as the Traverse City State Hospital.

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Special events and social gatherings are an integral part of life in The Village. We play host to several unique festivals, farm markets, concerts, celebrations and more!

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Traverse City State Hospital

Traverse City State Hospital was almost completely remodeled in 2000s, but reports say that the original structure remains from 1885, when it was built as the Northern Michigan Asylum. Unlike some of the others at the time, this hospital was said to be a place of beauty, where patients were treated with respect and straitjackets were not allowed. It was in operation until 1989. According to witnesses, the building is haunted. While it was not in use, lights would come on even though the electricity wasn’t hooked up. Ghostly children are said to run in the halls, and screams and voices echo in the rooms. There is said to be a ghost priest who killed himself in the chapel, and a monster in the basement area.

If you've had a paranormal experience here, or have any additional information about this location, please let us know!

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Geographic Information

Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time.

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Comments (18).

This place is not haunted at all it’s a waste of time and gas not worth the drive!

It is haunted did u stay in it for 3 nights

this place is haunted as hell.. truuust me, im local and lets just say i dont plan to go back anytime soon.

cmon ive been there my great great grandma went to that hospital so I probably know more about it than you also just saying that place was also an insane asylum so it has to be haunted

most of the building has been renovated, and much of the activity has died down. There is a cistern type well up on the hill west of the main buildings, at night, there are two voices my team and I would often encounter. one older male, and a young female voice.

I lived not a block from the state hospital for a year at a women’s center. I was outside one night mid October and I saw what looked to a satanic ritual. It really freaked me out I watched it for awhile but got scared and left. This place is defenitly got messed up energy.

I have MULTIPLE photos of this place and many of the other buildings prior to its “renovation” I’m not sure who said patients were treated fairly, they were not. There is a room, or was a room, below one of the screened in porches. When we looked inside (I never went in because I was searching with my grandma at the time) there was a bed bolted to the floor and on my children’s lives and fathers grave, NO DOOR to enter, only a window that was about 3-4 feet off the floor. That single room is why we left. However I do have tons of pictures, they’re just not on my phone they’re hard copies. I would love to speak with you, or anyone and share these photos with you. They deserve to be seen. This building deserves to be seen for the beauty it once held and all the pictures I’ve seen are black and white, grainy and of poor quality. Mine are full color, in bright sunlight and in my opinion hauntingly captivating. You can contact me, if you’re so inclined to, by email, [email protected] , or by telephone (269) 251-7674. Thank you for your time and I sincerely hope to hear from you. I also have pictures of when they begun construction. Pictures such as a sign they posted that said “If we rebuild it they will come” that’s when they wanted to make them living quarters for doctors, ironic? Again, thank you for you time

Sincerely, Danielle M French

My grandmother was a patient there. You make it sound like one single building. It was its own city, complete with self-reliant farm (capable patients milked cows, sheered sheep, reaped harvest, baled hay)… They were NOT treated nicely. My grandmother was over “zapped” with ECT and her heart stopped. They had to shock her again to bring her back. My father, knowing how my mother was treated & hoping to do some good, worked there for a few years. Until they downsized & he was transferred to Lapeer (Oakdale) in 1975. I have some old admission records & medical files of patients from there. Post cards of the place from the 1920s & 30s, and a book about its history written by a local who had 1st hand knowledge. I’d be more than happy to share it all with you, if you’d update your story a bit? Also, the “basement” you mention.. there are several underground passageways and tunnels between buildings, and more are haunted. Its how they moved the more difficult (read: harder to subdue) patients between wards without risk of them getting loose.

I have never been into the building but we pulled onto the campus to look at the renovations. I refused to get out of the car because there was such an intensely dark energy about the place. No one believed me, but I could feel it the minute we pulled up.

Picture I took a few years back before renovation (2013) I believe.

I took a picture of this same spot in 2013 for a school photography class and the window at the top right hand side the one with no bars there was a showdow of a person standing in this window when i took the pictures i showed the teacher and my classmates they all seen it to i wished i could find the picture i took. When i seen this picture it gave me chills and instintly remembered taking the same photo the same year.

We are looking for NEW locations to investigate. IDoes anyone know if they allow groups to investigate? if anyone knows please contact me.

hello,i have something to say! many of you saying oh this is a total fake paranormal place!well no the trith is horror runs in ,y family my grandma great grandma was a patient here. and to say the patients were treated poorly there is even a room I know some know a bout that has something in it that I wont even mention.but anyways this place is HORRIBLE! also I don’t want to leave this out,they helped INSANE people ya so it had an insane asylum. also many of the workers warned patient not to go under the building near the rail way, there was train tracks. people have reported seeing a worker holding her head! and now the paranormal stuff has grown daown now that the mall was built in. but there are still multiple hauntings and ghost sightings.and some of the stores are built in horrible rooms that were said to be the most haunted.so lets just enjoy the haunting beauty and the evilness of this hospital as it still is there! further into the future it wont be there. I also live in Michigan local and near traverse city!

yes honesty all that my sister said is right! this place is beautiful and we also have spent the night there and our grandma who died there woke us upn our sleep to tell us we needed to go it was not safe,we stayed. she stated words like hes watching! so I relate to my sis!

this is all true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I worked on the first phase of renovation there, I had my own keys to the place, and I was in the building alone after dark more than once. On one occasion I heard doors open and close, footsteps, keys rattling and whistling. My daughter who is an Empath encountered felt and saw a presence in the tunnels one time when she lag behind on a tour when we first got the building.

One night we took a tour with the crew when only the offices in front we’re remodeled say 2004 . We went through tunnels, the chaple, the floors that were safe and stable . My friend and I locked together by our arms, prepared to be scared out of our minds . I kept getting a creepy vibe i couldn’t handle .so I looked down quite a few times not wanting to see what I knew I could feel . I was suddenly being pulled to looked in a direction and I don’t know why I did , but what I saw must be this monster you speak of . It was grey or white mutated or malformed in some way almost looked like a mummy wrapped in gauze or peeling skin . It moved like a slow motion picture all sketchy, then faster like a blur faster than anything I’d ever seen . I blacked out or was grabbed in time or something . Because when I came to my friend wasn’t holding my arm my tour group was gone and I was alone ! I screamed for my dad and he came running down the hallway asking where I went ? I didn’t know I couldn’t tell him ,other than I saw something . My friend would not have let go ! She doesn’t know how I disappeared how we ended up separated and she did not want to talk about it again. The scariest thing of my life ! When my dad worked late nights there . Knowing damn well it was haunted . He was there for the remodel/painting crew .he often heard many things that made him say forget this and head straight home . There is an artist that took many pictures of this place before it was redone . She captured many things and heard many as well . Her name was Heidi Johnson she published a book angels in the architecture . She tried to release manily postive images of beauty . Anyways it’s an interesting place .

Photo taken of the TC State Hospital.

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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.

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