WESTLAND (WWJ) — When you mention Wayne County’s Eloise Psychiatric Hospital, it elicits a variety responses.
The facility’s history is as complicated as it is long, and it’s continuing to evolve now that one of the remaining buildings has been transformed into a haunted house attraction.
Though many Metro Detroiters believe Eloise to be the home of paranormal activity, WWJ’s Zach Clark and Annie Scaramuzzino discovered on this episode of The Daily J podcast that real story of the former psychiatric hospital is much more nuanced.
First opening in 1839 as the Wayne County Poorhouse, the facility eventually expanded into an asylum, sanatorium and hospital.
By 1913, the complex became collectively known as “Eloise,” named after daughter of Detroit postmaster Freeman B. Dickerson, who worked to improve conditions for the poor.
Eventually, the Eloise grounds became entirely self-sufficient, and operated like an independent town with 75 buildings on 902 acres which included fire and police departments, a post office, power plant, bakery, a fully-functioning farm, and even a railroad and trolley system.