It was initially selfpublished as the highfield mole in 2005, and rereleased as tunnels by chicken house in 2007. The traverse city state hospital of traverse city, michigan is a decommissioned psychiatric hospital that has been variously known as the northern michigan asylum and the traverse city regional psychiatric hospital. Officially the philadelphia state hopsital, it was a mental institution off roosevelt boulevard that opened in 1907. Traverse city state hospital by chris miller arcadia. The name was changed to the new hampshire state hospital in 1901. Spend 45 days in the traverse city mental hospital. May 17, 2008 the tunnels at metropolitan state were absolutely amazing.
Traverse city state hospital twilight tours michigans. Beauty is therapy contains the memoirs of earle steele, an employee of traverse city state hospital for fifty years. That was the hour when a general motors tool repairman named francis cronk accepted a collect call from the traverse city state hospital for mental. Forgotten children of the 60s traverse city, clayton. The tunnels under our feet provides historic background and covers 14 cities throughout colorado that houseand hidethese tunnels including. Building 50 is the centerpiece of the former northern michigan asylum traverse city state hospital. Tour a former asylum at the village at grand traverse. A fter all these years, the old traverse city asylum finally have historical, twilight tours. Traverse city state hospital building 22 christian vanantwerpen. The traverse city state hospital was built in 1881 and was the 3rd asylum constructed in the state to meet with the growing number of patients deemed mentally ill. Under the buildings, miles and miles of tunnels crisscrossed the gigantic campus, leading to intersections, dead ends, sometimes entrances, and longforgotten rooms and parts of buildings that hadnt been used for years. It is the last kirkbride building of michigans original four left in the state. Grand traverse commons state asylum conversion to retail.
It is the first book in the tunnels series, and was followed by deeper 2008, freefall 2009, closer 2010, spiral 2011 and. Take a tour guided by finster from north fm into historic unrenovated buildings and the underground tunnel system of the former traverse city state hospital 90 minute guided historic walking tour of. After it finally closed in 1990, urban legends spread about insane patients being released to the streets, satanists roaming its vacant halls and secret underground tunnels. A subterranean world of tunnels links several buildings of this rare 19thcentury asylum. Traverse city state hospital forgotten photography. Apr 27, 2005 traverse city state hospital served the mental health needs of a large part of michigan for 104 years until its closure in 1989, housing a population as large as 3,000 in its many buildings. Haunted traverse city state hospital michigans otherside.
A brief introduction to tunnelstheir types, shapes, and parts, and how the. Raised on his familys farm on old mission peninsula, accomplished journalist and author johnston jack kerkhoff b. The weekender, a shoestring weekly in traverse city, mich. Huongs ability to convey quans state of mind and the overwhelming sense of loss he. Spend 45 days in the traverse city mental hospital by clark miller jan. The book placed on the new york times childrens chapter books bestseller list in february and march 2008. State hospital up at traverse city by looking at the online index for deaths tells only the persons who have died and the liber and page number the death is on. Large fans would force air through underground tunnels, into the basement and up flues in the various parts of the building. Hall18, hall18, hall7, hall7, hippy tree, kirkbride buildings, historic asylum architecture, traverse city state hospital, tcsh, history, children at traverse city state hospital.
The tour of the village at grand traverse commons will definitely be on my itinerary on my next visit to traverse city, even if i am spooked by it. Traverse city state hospital mi images of america 9780738533896. A history of the traverse state hospital is the most comprehensive history of the collection of building and grounds written to date. A memoir of 45 days in the traverse city state hospital kerkhoff, jack, minervini, ray on. The online index for deaths tells only the persons who have died and the liber and page number the death is on. For those seeking an otherworldly experience, the evening skyline of building 50 is magical and unique. Spend 45 days in the traverse city mental hospital features. Tunnels is a subterranean fiction novel by british authors roderick gordon and brian williams. The traverse city state hospital of traverse city, michigan is a decommissioned psychiatric hospital that has been variously known as the northern michigan. Minervini said his fathers vision was to transform the abandoned. Years of insufficient funding caused the hospital to decay into a crumbling facility with too few staff, as seen in the 1975 film one flew over the cuckoos nest. Abandoned subway tunnels and other industrial settings. Media in category traverse city state hospital the following 14 files are in this category, out of 14 total.
The traverse city state hospital contains multiple buildings located on a large rolling campus. It was listed on the national register of historic places in 1978 and designated a. November 6, 2018 jacki erickson 0 abandoned asylum, haunted house books, j. Jan 26, 2014 traverse city state hospital building 22 christian vanantwerpen. Traverse city state hospital served the mental health needs of a large part of michigan for 104. One of the most notoriously haunted places in michigan is the traverse city state hospital. The abundance of abandoned asylums and psychiatric hospitals in the new england area create the bulk of the locations here. A short distance down the 2 lane highway we came to a road to my left, and i saw the big sign 10 high, anchored in concrete, and made of stone, state hospital. The hospital operated for 104 years but after health care reforms in the state, the rise of new medications and the declining use of such massive mental health facilities in general, the traverse city state hospital closed its doors for the last time in 1989.
Traverse city state hospital served the mental health needs of a large part of michigan for 104 years until its closure in 1989, housing a population as large as 3,000 in its many buildings. Were in search of nurses, attendents and patients from the 60s who spent time at traverse city state hospital hall18and hall7, bldg50, childrens wards and has a story to tell about the time they spent there. Anyone in the mental health field and nonprofessionals interested in the history of psychiatry will find this book highly informative. The tunnels at metropolitan state were absolutely amazing. The former traverse city state hospital is immersed in over 100 years of history. He is a cum laude graduate of western michigan university, kalamazoo, and earned his medical degree at wayne state university, college of medicine in 1952. Discover tunnels of traverse city state hospital in traverse city, michigan. Canon city, colorado springs, old colorado city, cripple creek, denver, durango, estes park, florence, fort collins, leadville, pueblo, salida, trinidad, and victor. But tunnels also has some rookie mistakes from the firsttime authors and suffers from the lax editorial hand that has become all too common in modern childrens fantasy. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. Tour a former asylum at the village at grand traverse commons. Decker served with the michigan department of mental health for nearly 34 years, the last years as medical superintendent of the kalamazoo regional psychiatric hospital.
Northern michigan asylum, which opened in 1885, was known during most of its years as traverse city state hospital. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Under the buildings, miles and miles of tunnels crisscrossed the gigantic campus, leading to intersections, dead ends, sometimes entrances, and longforgotten rooms and parts of. After it finally closed in 1990, urban legends spread about insane patients being released to the streets, satanists roaming its. Traverse city state hospital traces the history of traverse city state hospital, from its founding, through its development and decline, and finally to its renovation and preservation as part of the traverse city community. The evolution from a state run asylum to a thriving and bustling community is the foundation of what makes the village what it is today. Located at the midpoint of the complex, the imposing facades of. Traverse city state hospital becomes a mixeduse hub the. Tunnels was critically well received, although some complaints about its lengthy, slow start were recorded. Designed by midwestern church architect gordon lloyd, this large mostly three story building was built on what is known as the kirkbride plan of mental institution design for housing mental patients, which was popular in the 19th century. Occupational hazards photos of the abandoned ypsilanti. The facility and patients were merged into other state hospitals in the area. Crazy days at metropolitan state hospital the tunnels.
A brief introduction to tunnels their types, shapes, and parts, and how the. Slideshow focuses on building 50, womens wing, of the traverse state hospital which closed in the late 60s. Mar 21, 2014 officially the philadelphia state hopsital, it was a mental institution off roosevelt boulevard that opened in 1907. Many of the buildings are constructed from matching buff brick. Cranberry specialty hospital, also known as the plymouth county state hospital. The tour begins on the front lawn with a formal toast to honor historys advocates for moral treatment. The traverse city state hospital formerly known as the northern michigan asylum is the last remaining kirkbridestyle asylum in michigan, open from the mid1880s until 1989, at which time every teenager in traverse city and the surrounded areas descended on it with spray paint and enthusiasm. The massive center of the old traverse city state hospital, nearly a quarter of a mile. A subterranean world of tunnels links several buildings of this rare 19thcentury. May 21, 20 years of insufficient funding caused the hospital to decay into a crumbling facility with too few staff, as seen in the 1975 film one flew over the cuckoos nest. Traverse city state hospital the traverse city state hospital of traverse city, michigan has been variously known as the northern michigan asylum and the traverse city regional psychiatric hospital.
The book tells the history of the traverse city state hospital in both text and photographs. Traverse city state hospital, michigan images of america. From the preface to the index, author william decker, m. The village at grand traverse commons is located at 830 cottageview drive in traverse city, michigan. Angels in the architecture contains heidi johnsons photographs of traverse city state hospital juxtaposed with rare historical images and firsthand accounts of the sad realities and surprising acts of kindness from the hospitals history northern michigan asylum is a comprehensive history of michigans third asylum, built in 1885. A majority of contributing structures feature buff or golden brown brick execution with stone, cement, or wood trim. Throughout my 12 years of life, i recalled all the horror stories from the 1950s movies, twilight zone, the outer limits, and the other stories, even those of the insane asylum in.
Step back into the abundant history of the former traverse city state hospital. Perry hannah, who was known as the founding father of traverse city used his political influences to have the asylum built in his home town, as well as donating a substantial amount. The story follows will burrows, a 14yearold archaeologist, who stumbles upon an underground civilization called the colony. Take a tour guided by finster from north fm into historic unrenovated buildings and the underground tunnel system of the former traverse city state hospital 90 minute guided historic walking tour of the village campus. Clocking in at more than 450 pages, the story meanders and drifts for the first third, often getting mired in exposition that will have english teachers everywhere yelling. This extensive space allowed the hospital to include a farm and to be selfsufficient. Journalist mitchell atomic coverup illuminates a halfforgotten but nasty episode in the annals of cold war history. A memoir of 45 days in the traverse city state hospital. See more ideas about traverse city, city state and abandoned asylums. How many of you remember traverse city state hospital.
History of nhh new hampshire hospital nh department of. Malmo central station to traverse city 3 ways to travel. Building 50, the visual centerpiece of the complex, is a threestory building on a stone foundation containing 386,740 square feet of space. In august 1961, infuriated by the exodus of its citizens, sovietbacked. Tunnels of traverse city state hospital traverse city, michigan. The tunnels is a gripping tale about heroic individuals defying an authoritarian state at a critical moment in the cold war. This is the setting for the new novel, admissions by jennifer sowle. James decker munson, who left his legacy in the landscaped grounds and the medical center that today bears his name. Kai bird, author of the good spy when you have read the last page of greg mitchells the tunnels you will close the book but not. It took three years of debate to determine a site for the hospital.
Historic tour takes guests inside and underneath the old state hospital. Traverse city state hospital keep this door closed. Dec 10, 2010 slideshow focuses on building 50, womens wing, of the traverse state hospital which closed in the late 60s. This book traces the history of this great institution, from the local and mental health context in which it was founded, through its growth, development. Until it closed in 1989, the traverse city state hospital was among the largest employers in this small city in northern michigan. This facility has been closed for about 15 years now and is in limbo as the town tries to find a good use for the land and recoup some of the money spent on the property. Traverse city state hospital traverse city, michigan. The traverse city state hospital is a complex comprised of sixty buildings located on a hilly 480 acre tract of land at the southwestern perimeter of traverse city. Below is a link to a forum with some patients stories from the mid60s.
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