First off - Happy Paranormal Day (yesterday 5/3) - also this was supposed to come out tomorrow - but I am trying to be on top of things - get new Hank's Lore's out...work on BearPoxy (my other side hustle) do the damn things..ya know.... who knows how long I can keep it up - but I am reallly gonna try.
So let's do it y'all. The Old Insane Asylum in Kalamazoo Michigan.
This is the largest hospital of it's kind in Michigan, and officially opened it's doors to the public in August of 1859. Although, 3 woman were admitted before it was officially opened. This was operated under the guidance of Edwin Van Deusen. The hospital was first known as Michigan Asylum for the Insane; then in 1911 the name changed to Kalamazoo State Hospital. While the first 3 female patients were admitted before the hospital was even officially open the first male patient wasn't admitted until the following summer of 1860. & by 1959 there were well over 3,500 patients and over 900 staff members.
The state tuberculosis sanitorium was taken over by the hospital and was utilized for TB patients as well as elderly patients. This expanded the amount of patients the hospital had.
The campus for the old asylum is huge. There were 2 different working farms on the campus. These were used to establish a rehabilitation pattern for the patients. The campus was set up as its own little town. It has its own: power plant, water system, bakery, laundry, library, canteen, garage, cemetery, general kitchen and greenhouse. All of these facilities were used by patients and the employees of hospital.
The hospital was knowns for having one of the leading facilities for treating the mentally ill and having cutting edge treatment. The Kalamazoo State Hospital pioneered the use of metrozol and insulin shock treatments. This was a huge advancement in the treatment of those suffering mental illness. Most of the previous treatments used cuffs, cages and immobilizing devices. Prior to hospitals of this kind mentally ill individuals would be locked away within little rooms sometimes forgotten about. Those who were offered little freedoms were then put in jail so they would not hurt themselves or others (NOT THAT THEY FREAKIN WOULD)
This hospital was far from perfect. 2 major incidents happened while the doors were opened of this facility. in 1954, a sexual deviant was locked up in the hospital. He lured one of the female nurses into the basement of the building and brutally attacked her. The strangled her to death. Some reports say that he sexually assaulted her before strangling her - while others say they are unsure of this. 50 years prior to this attack a resident doctor was stabbed to death. Of course the resident doctor was stabbed by a patient.
There are many patient deaths on records. But, very very few are attributed to anything other than natural causes or accidental. Accidental deaths happened at this facility because a lot of the times the hospital was under staffed. There was also a TB unit and lets not forget the elderly unit. OF COURSE death was going to happen.
FUN FACT TIME: Malcom X's mother was admitted to this hospital due to a nervous breakdown.
There was an extensive tunnel system established under the asylum. The tunnel system has been deemed unsafe since the 1980's. The tunnels were used for staff to get around from building to building. They helped with snow removal since everything was underground the urgency to get snow removed on the ground didn't delay patient treatment. After the shutdown of the asylum the tunnels became a source of entertainment for many teenaged individuals of the area.
People passing by the empty hospital building say that they have seen ghostly figure in the broken windows. The shadowy figures are seen in both the daylight and the night. The hospital is completely closed off to the public - this is not to say that people cannot break in I'm sure this happens ALL the time. Many of the locals say they have heard screams - and they say it reminds them of what they think tortuous screams would sound like.
One of the stories that I read said that everything in the hospital was abandoned. Like, one day people were there and the next they were gone. There were even patient records left behind. This is always super creepy to me. But, one thing that was left behind even after all these years is a pristine mirror on the wall. It is just chillin there like it cannot break or like no one would dear break it. And, to me that does sound creepy as hell.
Most of the reported hauntings are attributed to the individuals who died brain still haunting them and keeping them earth bound. They didn't die to being murdered or tortured - or there are no reports of it. So, their mental state is what is keeping them in the hospital of eternity.
What do you think? Could someone's mental state cause them to stay earthbound long after death?
Have you been here? What did you experience? Have you heard stories of this old alyssum? If so, tell me in the comments or start a forum on it for other Hank Lorians!
I cannot wait to hear from you!
XOXO
HANK
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