Folks in America are rallying around the growing desire for more mental health advocacy.
Whether it's getting matching tattoos to raise awareness or just talking more openly about this very real issue, Americans are doing their part to bring mental illness out of the shadows.
But mental institutions actually have a long – and sometimes shocking – history in America. And when I learned why this Michigan mental asylum was going up for sale, I was totally shocked.
The notorious former psychiatric hospital "Eloise" is so big that it has its very own zip code. And suddenly the asylum is hitting the real estate market for a mere 1.5 million dollars – that's cheaper than most Manhattan apartments!
So why is this giant and historical piece of real estate being sold for so cheap? The answer reveals a dark and haunting past.
Scroll through below to uncover this mental asylum's surprising and fascinating history.
Would you visit Eloise? Let us know in the comments.
h/t Guardian/Haunted USA
Eloise was actually built as a poorhouse and farm in 1839. But over the years, it eventually grew to be a complex of 76 buildings, and at its peak it covered 900 acres – the size of a small city. This mini-city soon became one of the most elaborate mental facilities in the country.
The complex had its own police and fire department, a post office, cattle herds, a greenhouse, a cannery, a tobacco field and, at one point, housed over 12,000 patients seeking help for moderate-to-severe mental illness. And though it sits empty today, rumors run rampant that some of these former residents still haunt the halls of Eloise.
Due to budgetary constraints, Wayne County in Michigan is currently looking to sell this iconic piece of real estate. This process has been in motion for a while, with large parcels of the land being sold off to Ford Motor Company and even developed into an 18-hole golf course. But a large and still-terrifying portion of the complex remains unsold and untouched.
Why has no one been willing to purchase this former mental asylum?
One need only take a look at these smiling nurses as they hold dozens of leather restraints to see just how sinister the hospital's history truly is. Many locals – as well as ghost-hunters around America – believe Eloise is extraordinary haunted. One building employee, who asked to remain anonymous, shares his paranormal experiences with The Guardian, “I’m serious. A guy [that wasn't there] was sitting on the steps."
And as if the haunting rumors were not enough, according to the website Haunted USA, “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."
Some people have even reported "hearing strange moans, screams, and roars on the old grounds.” There are also countless Youtube clips of thrill-seekers exploring Eloise as part of their own DIY ghost hunts.
To cement its status as a haunted icon, there’s even a star-studded thriller inspired by the Eloise Mental Asylum, dubbed simply "Eloise." Though its release date is still up in the air, it’s been an ongoing reminder of the rumors that swirl around the abandoned facility.
Though many say Eloise will be a difficult sell because of its alleged "haunted past,” Mike Deighan, Eloise’s listing broker, believes otherwise.
“Nobody believes [it’s haunted].” Mike says the real challenge is the marketplace. Located in the city of Westland, a bedroom community of 82,000, it could be difficult to find a buyer that wants to take on such a large investment.
While he may be confident in the "normalcy" of the former asylum, others believe something sinister refuses to leave the walls of Eloise. Nonetheless, Mike has a vision for the converted asylum: a potential senior housing complex, retail facing the adjacent Michigan Avenue, offices, and more. With 50 acres of land, the possibilities could be endless.
Still the question remains: Is Eloise truly haunted? And, whatever the future holds, will its notoriously spooky spirits continue to haunt its next reincarnation?
This creepy former asylum remains a dark and sinister piece of Michigan's history to this very day.
Do you believe Eloise is haunted? Let us know in the comments.
Please SHARE if you love looking at old, abandoned buildings like this!
