Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning July 2006 » Eloise Hospital « Previous Next »
Top of pageBottom of page

Mattric43
Member
Username: Mattric43

Post Number: 9
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 12.15.7.70
Posted on Friday, July 14, 2006 - 3:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Does anyone have any old pics of this place. The only thing I can find is recent after almost all of the buildings were torn down. Only pics of the remaining three on Talesofeloise.com I wanted to see how big this place was at one time. Any ifo also is appreciated. Thanks
Top of pageBottom of page

Sven1977
Member
Username: Sven1977

Post Number: 195
Registered: 04-2004
Posted From: 209.220.229.254
Posted on Friday, July 14, 2006 - 3:16 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

There is a book available at the bookstores with tons of pictures. Go to the Local Interest section of the store. They may be sold out though.
Top of pageBottom of page

Kathleen
Member
Username: Kathleen

Post Number: 1414
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 140.244.107.151
Posted on Friday, July 14, 2006 - 3:49 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That would be "Eloise: Poorhouse, Farm, Asylum and Hospital 1839-1984" by Patricia Ibbotson and published in 2002 by Arcadia Publishing.

For details:
http://www.arcadiapublishing.c om/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Scre en=PROD&Store_Code=arcadia&Pro duct_Code=0738519545&Product_C ount=&Category_Code=
Top of pageBottom of page

The_aram
Member
Username: The_aram

Post Number: 4966
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 68.41.124.8
Posted on Friday, July 14, 2006 - 7:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Besides the Arcadia book, there are several other books about Eloise that are more text-based than photography-based. I know the Northville Library has several in the reference section. There's quite a bit of Eloise material out there.
Top of pageBottom of page

Dan_cluley
Member
Username: Dan_cluley

Post Number: 8
Registered: 05-2005
Posted From: 65.140.205.216
Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 12:43 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Does anyone know if there was a cemetary as part of the Eloise complex? Family legend suggests that my Great-great grandfather died there around 1898-99, but no one seems to know where he was buried.
Top of pageBottom of page

Aiw
Member
Username: Aiw

Post Number: 5698
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 65.92.102.10
Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 1:43 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Dan, yes there was:

http://www.detroitfunk.com/200 6/06/nameless_blameless.html
Top of pageBottom of page

Detroitteacher
Member
Username: Detroitteacher

Post Number: 166
Registered: 06-2006
Posted From: 205.188.116.137
Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 8:25 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

AIW, great website. Thanks for the link!! I don't live too far away from there and we do go walking around in the graveyard at times (call it ghost hunting). Wayne County may not have known it was there but the kids around the area sure did. That cemetery was a legendary spot for teens when I was growing up (no destruction that I ever heard of, just a great spooky spot).
Top of pageBottom of page

Gargoyle
Member
Username: Gargoyle

Post Number: 13
Registered: 04-2006
Posted From: 24.192.189.109
Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 2:36 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My mother worked there as a nurse in the sixties. The psychiatric hospital was still in operation then and when you drove past on Michigan you could see all the patients who were allowed outside wandering on the lawn or sitting in big wooden swings that dotted the grounds. Treatment wasn't much in those days. Mostly they just kept them sedated so they didn't act up. Gave them a lethargic kind of walk the nurses called the "Thorazine shuffle". Consequently, when the government stopped funding county-run institutions like Eloise and the patients were released back into society, they still had all the problems that had caused them to be admitted in the first place. Some had been there so long it was the only home they knew. They ended up committing crimes, living on the street, and many committed suicide. It was tragic. But back on topic, the place was HUGE. All the buildings had letter designations: A, B, C and so on, and there was a working farm with crops planted across the road and dairy cows. All I remember was that payroll was in N building and I thought the place was abyssmal. The general hospital, however, was pretty state-of-the-art at the time.
Top of pageBottom of page

Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765

Post Number: 878
Registered: 01-2004
Posted From: 4.229.24.207
Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 4:03 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The General Hospital was on Merriman across from the cemetery thats there now. Theres still fragments of it in that field. The Walter Ruether is still there and functions as a mental hospital. Most of the major buildings are now a golf course.

The TB sanitorium was across Michigan from what is now the Kay Beard building. That side (the south side of Michigan) also had the tabacco farms, drying barns, pig barns, slaughter houses etc. Food for the complex was grown over there. Most of that property was sold by Wayne County to Ford Motor Co. and other developers.

The Potters Field cemetery is on Henry Ruff south of Michigan, and is surrounded by evergreen trees. This was out of use about 60 years ago.

Just to the east of Kay Beard was the "ice house". This was used not only for holding ice, but also as a temporary morgue for people buried in that field. The most famous person buried in Eloise cemetery was Elijah McCoy. He had a patent on a railroad coupling device, which gave birth to the saying "The Real McCoy" as a mark of excellence. Later Mr. McCoy was removed to a proper marked cemetery. Currently the land can not be redeveloped without permission from every single family of every person buried there. There are scant records available for the burials, so the people stay where they are for now.

Kay Beard is the only viable surviving building, and I am told that the upper floors contained doctors offices and holding cells for "inmates". Those floors are long abandoned, and many windows are currently missing.

In the 2nd sub basement of Kay Beard, there is flooding, and several of the tunnel entrances. These no longer go anywhere because the destinations are demolished, but at one time all buildings could be accessed underground from KBeard. On the west side of this building is the loading dock, this is where the Cadillac ambulances brought in new people who were commited.

The property boardering Merriman, as well as the property facing Michigan is for sale. I say that the Kay Beard is not long for this world. The powerstation and infamous "Eloise" smoke stack are in sad shape, and surely must have been condemned by now.

The other remaining structures are the bakery next to the powerstation, and a laundry building which was converted to a fire station.
Top of pageBottom of page

Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765

Post Number: 879
Registered: 01-2004
Posted From: 4.229.24.207
Posted on Saturday, July 15, 2006 - 4:35 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

map

Heres a scope of how huge the grounds were, even missing most of the structures its impressive. South of Michigan were the farms, the TB sanitorium and the cemetery, north were the hospitals.

cemetery

This is where the cemetery is located. Not easy to get to as its fenced in.

genhospt

Heres an old USGS image of the county hospital with the WReuther to the upper right of it.

nohosp

Heres whats there now, the footprint of the building, the roads, and the parking surfaces remain.
Top of pageBottom of page

Mattric43
Member
Username: Mattric43

Post Number: 10
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 12.15.7.70
Posted on Monday, July 17, 2006 - 12:16 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Some great pics thank you. Anything back farther with all the buildings on the property before they were all torn down?
Top of pageBottom of page

Thnk2mch
Member
Username: Thnk2mch

Post Number: 202
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 71.65.11.152
Posted on Monday, July 17, 2006 - 12:23 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here is another infomative link that was buried in AIW's link:

http://www.talesofeloise.com
Top of pageBottom of page

Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765

Post Number: 880
Registered: 01-2004
Posted From: 4.229.54.176
Posted on Monday, July 17, 2006 - 7:17 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mattric43 - the book has pics and aerial pics of all the buildings, including the farms and sanatorium.

Another interesting tidbit, the Eloise cemetery is actually three consolidated cemeteries.
Hey AIW - you got any Sanborn maps of the Eloise region ? ?
Top of pageBottom of page

Mattric43
Member
Username: Mattric43

Post Number: 12
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 12.15.7.70
Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 9:51 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks for the info. Looks like I will need to pic up that book.

Add Your Message Here
Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.