Eloise Asylum, aka Wayne County Poor House, is an 1830s poorhouse that later became a hospital with a large cemetery that holds more than 7,000 graves. The hospital ceased operation in 1984. The ruins of the complex are said to be haunted, and witnesses have described apparitions, often of a woman in white, as well as moans, screams and roars.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- 30712 Michigan Avenue
Westland, MI 48185
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 42.2871624, -83.342648
- County:
- Wayne County, Michigan
- Nearest Towns:
- Inkster, MI (1.7 mi.)
Wayne, MI (2.3 mi.)
Garden City, MI (2.7 mi.)
Westland, MI (3.9 mi.)
Taylor, MI (4.9 mi.)
Dearborn Heights, MI (4.9 mi.)
Romulus, MI (5.3 mi.)
Livonia, MI (5.6 mi.)
Allen Park, MI (7.0 mi.)
Redford, MI (7.1 mi.)
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
I had this reoccurring dream about Eloise since I was a child. I had several dreams about each individual building- including the old Fire House, the main building where the staff lived. To fully understand, you must know I had no idea what these buildings even were- I was a kid and never heard of Eloise. I just remembered someone pointing at the building and repeatedly saying ‘Eloise’ over and over.
About 3 months ago I finally looked it up because I had the dream again and found out that it was an asylum- so of course..I wanted to check it out.
I went to the grounds with my friend Ryan. Before we even parked in the parking lot both of us had gotten major headaches as if the pressure changed outside. We walked by the main building first and I noticed some strange things about the building like the new flowers placed in each window. Ryan noticed a strange apparition in one of the windows that didn’t have curtains. So we walked around the grounds a little more- there was a shipping/receiving building that lays now in ruins which I didn’t feel anything off of except when we went through a tunnel and there was huge gusts of wind, a few whispers, and the rocks behind us moved as if someone was following behind us. Also there was a block that kept moving as if someone was standing on it- but that was probably just from it being old and not level.
Then we made our way to the old bakery which was super creepy and when I touched the building I noticed a weird scent of burning wood, very ashy. I found out later that the building itself had caught fire randomly not too long ago. I also felt someone grab me hand and poke me several times while walking by this building. The last building we came to was the fire house..now this building I saved for last for a reason. This was the house from my dream I kept having. Once I turned and faced this building everything about it- the fence, the trees, the signs, the benches, etc- was the exact same as the dream I had. My dream had people in it just standing around talking and folding laundry though- idk if it means anything because it was a fire house. So, if anyone has any answers fill me in.
Once I faced this building I had a weird chill down my back that’s when Ryan and I decided we should leave and check out the cemetery. Once we left Eloise we noticed Ryan had a bruise from what looked to be a hand print on his arm. We never made it to the Cemetery because of the bugs but once we parked and tried to get through the tall grass a man stopped us and asked me if I was ‘Claire’? I was confused and answered no. Anywho, hope that helped. It wasn’t incredibly scary or anything.
Aren’t the buildings being used? When a friend and I went there two years ago the main building and the building behind it to the right had lights on and the building behind had workers in it. My buddy and i ran back to the car after seeing a man in a suit with a suitcase leaving the building… I found it odd because we were there at around 2:30 A.M.
I replied to your post below
I know it’s years later but that firehouse used to be a laundry building before the first fired house was burned down.
I went here two years ago and walked around the campus. I wasn’t too sure about walking around because the main building had many lights on inside and there was a smaller building behind it on the right and i could see workers in there. There were basketballs and soccer balls in the feild in front of this building. My buddy and i decided to leave when we saw a man leave the smaller building with a suit on carrying a suit case. We didn’t want to get in trouble so we ran back to the car. Does anybody know what they are using the buildings for?
Emily I can answer your question about Claire! I live in Westland, MI and I belong to a private Eloise group on Facebook. Claire is the leader of this group and does a lot of exploring on Eloise grounds, including maintaining the Cemetery. The man might have mistaken you for her. Also, I was intrigued because I to had dreams about Eloise and have never been inside. I dreamt that the place was up and running like back in its prime when it was a functioning psychiatric hospital. I was running from patients and doctors who were trying to attack me throughout the grounds. I recently seen pictures of the insides of the buildings and all the details, from the color of the tile on the floor, to the color of the walls, it was the same in my dream.
Hello, Jessica I would really like to get together and go to the grounds with you to actually discuss our experiences. It’s been a long time since we both commented and I’m not sure if you ever check this website, but I feel that we have similar experiences.
I can’t get the thought of Eloise out of my head and it’s been a long time since I had those dreams.
I was wondering is this place actually still located there?
It is still located there, some of it’s buildings on the complex are still used as office buildings. Unfortunately last month (March 2016) one of the abandoned buildings (bakery) burned down.
Actually, 10 days after you posted this.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2016/03/30/eloise-building-fire/82443398/
I worked in D building in the mid 1990’s. The county had offices on the first and second floors and the rest were abandoned and in disrepair. That particular building had been a hospital. In the basement, there was a huge room that used to be the kitchen and it was full of old hospital equipment and files. Very creepy. That was one of the remaining buildings at that time. I see that the homeless shelter is still there (the smaller building in the back someone described). C building is gone, but was there when I worked there. I could go on and on about what I learned about Eloise and what I saw while exploring, but nobody wants to read all of that! Go see it, if you can, and read about its amazing history. They say that the buildings were so strong that the first wrecking ball bounced off of one of the dormitories. Would have made great low income or homeless housing. Too bad.
My mom worked here in the 90s- I was there a lot. She worked for Wayne county weatherization –
This Place is definitely haunted, at least I’ve heard of my friends going into the tunnels, getting high and all the weirdos that are in there… I have bad dreams about this place, I don’t think I could pull myself to visit without peeing my pants… definitely might have made a difference in the area if it had stayed open , might have been good, does anyone know why it closed in the first place.
I was born there in February 1982 , my mother said it was so scary the beds had big holes in them shit would be moving during my birth . The doctors were even afraid to be in the room that I was born in mom said that every time they told her to push she would see 10 people at the end of the bed with the nurse and doctor but they had no faces
This place is very haunted. My brother, me and my fiancee all went on a wim not knowing anything about it other than it was an old asylum. We couldnt get in but xplored the grounds. It is ominious and very heavy feeling. My brother and I are both psychic. I didnt do my homework and i truly regret it. I would have never went. We ran evp it was sayng all sorts of demented stuff and violent too. We literally heard disembodied voices of men and women nd children. When we peeked through the doors in the back by the plastic tent. Literally something hit the door so hard it shook it. My brother almost jumped down in fright. We all got pinched poked and touched. Where old bakery was we heard what sounded like bricks being thrown. We saw the fan spin but it wasnt the wind we cgecked later as he wind was blowing and ut was not moving. When we peeked through the front windows up the marbel stairs my fiancee had a*person like thing blow in his eyes. He was as white as sheet. By. The golf course the evp told us we would be cursed. Very hateful. Then on the way home not kidding i felt like my ankel had gotten shocked so hard I screamed. I thought my car had electrocuted me. I had my fiancee drive we lost after that. My ankel keot hurting. When we finally got home i looked at it and it is welted nd brusied. Literally 5 finger prints bruised out of my ankels. Which has me kind of worried since that was when we were about 70-78 miles away from the place. And well im taking pictures of my burning and bruised ankel tomorrow. Also it asnt my car my fiancee never got shocked and they both heard static then a pop when it appened like someone electrocuted me with a hand print. I get home and start to read. Omfg i am so freaked out. The first place to do electroshock and lobotomies. Patients starving and nude with pics. 10000 patients to 2000 staff. Horrific stuff. So many deaths from open to close. Yeah this place is DARK and very haunted as a matter of fact I Will never go back.
I would like to explore this place in October who do I ask to get permission to explore this place. I don’t know whose in charge of this place
It’s owned by Wayne County.
Can this place be visited
Was in here as a child to visit a fa.ily friend in the early 80s. I still remember seeing these zombie like patients. I live 5 min away, it’s up for sale for 2 mall, I’d buy it and live there. I have gotten evps at the cemetery w my spirit box.
I would love to visit this place with friends, I love the thrill of ghost hunting and I know not to mess with things belonging to the property.
i lived in ghe homeless shelter for 3 months seen all sorts of strange things mostly in the big building at night
? 1… Is there any room for a mom and 2 kids
?2 what do u see?
Hey Nicole. What types of things did you see in the big building?
I’m really interested in seeing Eloise. I’m local and very familiar with its history.
Is this place haunted or did they make it a haunted house? I’m not interested in the gimmicky haunted house, but the real deal. The photos posted look like a gimmicky haunted house.
Both! The first floor and basement were changed into a haunted house. The upper levels stayed the same and can be toured for history and paranormal tours. The only thing that’s really changed is the fact that it’s been cleaned. It’s over for the season now and will reopen in March. If you do come keep in mind it is porta potties and there is no heat/air. There is a break room that can provide heat though.