The Eloise complex in Westland, Michigan, near Detroit, was established in 1839 as a poorhouse. In its heyday, Eloise Hospital was a psychiatric institution covering 902 acres with 70 buildings. It has its own police and fire department for 12,000 patients, and even its own zip code! The complex underwent several incarnations, and now is down to eight buildings on 50 acres. Still a big chunk of real estate, and it can be yours for $1.5 million. The broker says no one believes it’s haunted, but others tell a different tale.
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”.
Read more about the Eloise complex at The Guardian. -via Digg
(Image credit: Dwight Burdette)