1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:03,600 Good morning. Good evening. Good afternoon. Whatever the 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,080 case may be. This is Mike, and this 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:07,940 is Mike Dells world number 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,460 three no. Is it 434? 5 00:00:11,919 --> 00:00:13,939 That was a hard number for some reason. 6 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:15,859 But, anyway, 434. 7 00:00:16,054 --> 00:00:22,935 This is, 11/28/2025. 8 00:00:22,935 --> 00:00:24,454 Yeah. I always had to think about that 9 00:00:24,454 --> 00:00:24,954 date. 10 00:00:25,255 --> 00:00:25,914 This is, 11 00:00:26,855 --> 00:00:29,994 was it Panic Friday? No. Black Friday. 12 00:00:30,295 --> 00:00:32,560 Well, yeah, I'm not gonna be out shopping. 13 00:00:32,619 --> 00:00:33,520 Believe me. 14 00:00:34,219 --> 00:00:36,079 I got enough other things to do. 15 00:00:37,100 --> 00:00:39,820 Actually, I've got some website work to do 16 00:00:39,820 --> 00:00:40,320 for 17 00:00:41,179 --> 00:00:43,039 a client slash friend of mine. 18 00:00:43,740 --> 00:00:45,359 Not work related, but 19 00:00:46,984 --> 00:00:49,704 separate from work. But, today, we're gonna talk 20 00:00:49,704 --> 00:00:53,384 about the Traverse City State Hospital, otherwise known 21 00:00:53,384 --> 00:00:55,244 as the Northern Michigan Asylum 22 00:00:55,704 --> 00:00:58,924 or and the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital. 23 00:01:00,024 --> 00:01:01,004 And this 24 00:01:02,060 --> 00:01:03,820 complex and I and I I won't call 25 00:01:03,820 --> 00:01:06,459 it a building because it's several buildings. It's 26 00:01:06,459 --> 00:01:07,680 a huge campus, 27 00:01:08,540 --> 00:01:10,319 kind of on the West Side of town, 28 00:01:11,900 --> 00:01:14,319 you know, near our medical hospital 29 00:01:15,215 --> 00:01:17,935 and a big nursing home. So it's kinda 30 00:01:17,935 --> 00:01:20,114 that side of town's always been medically 31 00:01:20,494 --> 00:01:20,994 related. 32 00:01:21,694 --> 00:01:24,274 The state hospital was established 33 00:01:25,215 --> 00:01:28,435 in Traverse City in 1881. 34 00:01:28,655 --> 00:01:30,354 That's a long time ago. 35 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:32,540 That was established by 36 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:36,060 James Decker Munson, who is also the 37 00:01:36,759 --> 00:01:37,259 the 38 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,619 namesake for the, Munson Healthcare 39 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,359 System, which is our main medical hospital system 40 00:01:44,359 --> 00:01:45,180 around here, 41 00:01:45,724 --> 00:01:48,844 and also Perry Hanna. Perry Hanna is well 42 00:01:48,844 --> 00:01:49,984 known as the 43 00:01:50,924 --> 00:01:51,424 the, 44 00:01:52,844 --> 00:01:55,325 father of Traverse City, and he had a 45 00:01:55,325 --> 00:01:56,864 big store downtown, 46 00:01:57,244 --> 00:01:58,545 the Hannah Lay 47 00:01:59,150 --> 00:01:59,650 Mercantile 48 00:01:59,950 --> 00:02:03,890 store, and, he built a really cool mansion 49 00:02:04,590 --> 00:02:06,349 who's it's which is owned by a friend 50 00:02:06,349 --> 00:02:09,169 of mine now. It's a funeral home, but 51 00:02:09,229 --> 00:02:09,889 a huge, 52 00:02:10,349 --> 00:02:13,724 you know, mansion, the, Perry Hanna House on 53 00:02:13,724 --> 00:02:15,824 6th Street, now, the Zhongkoff 54 00:02:16,604 --> 00:02:17,585 Funeral Home. 55 00:02:18,764 --> 00:02:20,604 But a beautiful old building. 56 00:02:21,004 --> 00:02:22,044 When we were kids, 57 00:02:22,365 --> 00:02:24,444 used to used to stay in that building 58 00:02:24,444 --> 00:02:27,060 once in a while. They had the living 59 00:02:27,060 --> 00:02:29,620 quarters upstairs from the funeral home, which is 60 00:02:29,620 --> 00:02:30,680 on the Main Floor 61 00:02:31,139 --> 00:02:31,639 and 62 00:02:31,939 --> 00:02:32,759 used to 63 00:02:33,219 --> 00:02:35,960 stay over there and explore that house and 64 00:02:36,099 --> 00:02:37,780 now they give kind of tours of it. 65 00:02:37,780 --> 00:02:39,639 Nobody lives there anymore, but 66 00:02:40,254 --> 00:02:42,014 and they're still running the business out of 67 00:02:42,014 --> 00:02:42,995 there for sure. 68 00:02:43,455 --> 00:02:45,875 It's like one of the largest funeral home 69 00:02:46,574 --> 00:02:47,474 in the area. 70 00:02:48,814 --> 00:02:51,375 So but anyway, then I digress. The State 71 00:02:51,375 --> 00:02:51,875 Hospital, 72 00:02:52,495 --> 00:02:55,634 like I said, was established in 1881 73 00:02:56,150 --> 00:02:58,790 It opened up, in 1885, 74 00:02:58,790 --> 00:02:59,610 and it was 75 00:02:59,909 --> 00:03:00,890 a self sustaining, 76 00:03:02,950 --> 00:03:03,450 community. 77 00:03:05,349 --> 00:03:05,849 The 78 00:03:06,310 --> 00:03:07,849 the people that ran that, 79 00:03:08,150 --> 00:03:08,969 you know, was, 80 00:03:09,385 --> 00:03:10,125 you know, psychiatric 81 00:03:10,985 --> 00:03:11,485 care, 82 00:03:12,185 --> 00:03:15,865 with beauty, you know, involved because the buildings 83 00:03:15,865 --> 00:03:16,605 are just 84 00:03:17,145 --> 00:03:18,284 beautiful Victorian 85 00:03:18,745 --> 00:03:21,165 buildings. The main building, Building 50, 86 00:03:21,719 --> 00:03:24,840 everybody calls it. And that's still standing and 87 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:25,580 it's been 88 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:26,860 reused 89 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,180 for various things, but 90 00:03:29,719 --> 00:03:30,780 I'll get to that. 91 00:03:31,319 --> 00:03:33,080 But back in the day, that was, you 92 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:34,540 know, one of the big regional 93 00:03:35,525 --> 00:03:36,025 psychiatric 94 00:03:36,405 --> 00:03:37,784 hospitals, state hospitals, 95 00:03:38,485 --> 00:03:40,164 mental hospitals. I don't know. They had a 96 00:03:40,164 --> 00:03:41,064 whole bunch of 97 00:03:41,525 --> 00:03:43,544 of, you know, euphemisms 98 00:03:43,925 --> 00:03:46,185 for it, but it was a place where 99 00:03:46,324 --> 00:03:49,879 people with psychiatric problems could could go, and 100 00:03:49,879 --> 00:03:51,800 and they had a pretty good record of 101 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,000 of healing people, 102 00:03:53,319 --> 00:03:54,860 you know, at least in the early 103 00:03:55,159 --> 00:03:56,759 part of it in the in, you know, 104 00:03:56,759 --> 00:03:58,139 the middle in the sixties, 105 00:03:58,680 --> 00:03:59,659 fifties, forties, 106 00:04:00,439 --> 00:04:00,939 whatever. 107 00:04:02,004 --> 00:04:04,504 My grandparents, both my dad's folks, 108 00:04:04,884 --> 00:04:05,384 were 109 00:04:07,125 --> 00:04:09,784 employees out there. My grandmother was an RN, 110 00:04:10,645 --> 00:04:13,604 registered nurse, and my grandfather was, I guess, 111 00:04:13,604 --> 00:04:15,224 called an orderly, but, 112 00:04:15,604 --> 00:04:16,584 you know, he would 113 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,480 he was in charge of whatever ward he 114 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:21,720 was on and, you know, it became like 115 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:23,639 a big family in a lot of cases. 116 00:04:23,639 --> 00:04:25,160 I mean, they did a lot of crazy 117 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:26,220 stuff too, like, 118 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,660 you know, like, mental hospitals do, but 119 00:04:30,334 --> 00:04:32,514 these were one of the more humane ones. 120 00:04:33,455 --> 00:04:35,395 And it's an old Kubrick building. 121 00:04:36,495 --> 00:04:38,274 Kubrick. Am I 122 00:04:38,895 --> 00:04:40,115 saying that properly? 123 00:04:40,814 --> 00:04:41,314 But, 124 00:04:41,774 --> 00:04:42,675 yeah, the whole 125 00:04:43,379 --> 00:04:43,819 thing, 126 00:04:44,259 --> 00:04:48,819 was predicated on, you know, kindness, comfort, pleasure 127 00:04:48,819 --> 00:04:49,560 with beautiful 128 00:04:49,939 --> 00:04:51,720 flowers provided year round 129 00:04:52,020 --> 00:04:53,240 by their own greenhouses. 130 00:04:54,180 --> 00:04:54,840 They had, 131 00:04:55,504 --> 00:04:57,904 you know, the beautiful wooded grounds. They had 132 00:04:57,904 --> 00:04:59,365 a farm. You know, there's 133 00:05:00,305 --> 00:05:03,185 a part of the state hospital complex was, 134 00:05:03,425 --> 00:05:06,625 what's now called the historic Barnes Park, and 135 00:05:06,625 --> 00:05:08,464 there's a couple of big old barns there. 136 00:05:08,464 --> 00:05:10,305 And, one of them, they got all fixed 137 00:05:10,305 --> 00:05:11,044 up to, 138 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:13,639 you know, be like a wedding venue and, 139 00:05:13,879 --> 00:05:15,579 you know, or a party venue 140 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:17,800 and all that. In fact, they went to 141 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:18,779 a reception, 142 00:05:19,639 --> 00:05:20,539 in the barns 143 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:22,139 a couple summers ago, 144 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,240 and it's, it's, you know, really nice, you 145 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:26,860 know, in that whole area. 146 00:05:27,214 --> 00:05:28,115 They had farmers. 147 00:05:28,814 --> 00:05:30,495 One of our neighbors when he was a 148 00:05:30,495 --> 00:05:30,995 kid, 149 00:05:31,775 --> 00:05:34,194 he was a farmer at the state hospital 150 00:05:34,254 --> 00:05:36,035 and, you know, and he had all the 151 00:05:36,415 --> 00:05:38,814 the patients and or, you know, my my 152 00:05:38,814 --> 00:05:40,574 cousin also worked there and he always called 153 00:05:40,574 --> 00:05:41,314 them clients. 154 00:05:41,939 --> 00:05:43,139 But, you know, they had a lot of 155 00:05:43,139 --> 00:05:43,800 the patients, 156 00:05:44,259 --> 00:05:46,259 you know, helping with the farm. They grew 157 00:05:46,259 --> 00:05:48,819 their own food. They had, you know, cattle. 158 00:05:48,819 --> 00:05:49,560 They had 159 00:05:49,939 --> 00:05:53,220 pigs and chickens and eggs and, you know, 160 00:05:53,220 --> 00:05:55,699 plus crops and everything. So a lot of 161 00:05:55,699 --> 00:05:56,519 what the 162 00:05:57,254 --> 00:05:58,475 state hospital residents 163 00:05:59,495 --> 00:06:01,835 ate came right off of that property, 164 00:06:03,335 --> 00:06:04,395 and it was definitely, 165 00:06:05,014 --> 00:06:05,754 you know, 166 00:06:06,775 --> 00:06:09,335 pretty self sustaining. They had their own power 167 00:06:09,335 --> 00:06:09,835 plant. 168 00:06:10,949 --> 00:06:12,790 That building is still there. All the windows 169 00:06:12,790 --> 00:06:14,310 are knocked out of it, but the building's 170 00:06:14,310 --> 00:06:16,310 still there. And they are still renovating some 171 00:06:16,310 --> 00:06:18,470 of the what they call cottages, but these 172 00:06:18,470 --> 00:06:19,689 were, like, three story 173 00:06:20,149 --> 00:06:23,029 barracks buildings, but kind of Victorian style. They're 174 00:06:23,029 --> 00:06:24,410 really neat. Big porches 175 00:06:25,585 --> 00:06:26,404 and all that. 176 00:06:26,785 --> 00:06:30,245 But, they've reused a lot of Building 50. 177 00:06:30,865 --> 00:06:32,485 The whole bottom floor 178 00:06:33,504 --> 00:06:34,964 is kind of this winding, 179 00:06:36,625 --> 00:06:37,285 you know, 180 00:06:38,089 --> 00:06:40,029 almost like a maze of 181 00:06:40,410 --> 00:06:41,550 of corridors, 182 00:06:42,009 --> 00:06:44,329 and they have little stores down there, kinda 183 00:06:44,329 --> 00:06:46,089 like a mall sort of thing. They have 184 00:06:46,089 --> 00:06:48,329 a couple restaurants down there. They call it 185 00:06:48,329 --> 00:06:48,990 the grotto. 186 00:06:50,024 --> 00:06:52,345 And, you know, a lot of, little small 187 00:06:52,345 --> 00:06:54,985 shops are set up in there. And, you 188 00:06:54,985 --> 00:06:57,225 know, it's it's really, you know, it's not 189 00:06:57,225 --> 00:06:59,705 fixed up to modern specs. It's fixed up, 190 00:07:00,024 --> 00:07:00,524 to, 191 00:07:01,064 --> 00:07:04,345 you know, 1900 early nineteen hundred specs, you 192 00:07:04,345 --> 00:07:06,509 know. Of course, they have lights and everything, 193 00:07:06,509 --> 00:07:07,009 but 194 00:07:07,389 --> 00:07:09,229 still it's it's pretty cool. 195 00:07:10,110 --> 00:07:12,430 The upper Floors of Building 50 have been 196 00:07:12,430 --> 00:07:14,449 turned into condos and apartments 197 00:07:15,389 --> 00:07:18,349 and a lot of the outlying areas on 198 00:07:18,349 --> 00:07:20,865 the on the 1st And 2nd Floor, not 199 00:07:20,865 --> 00:07:22,865 the Bottom Floor, which was more of a 200 00:07:22,865 --> 00:07:24,245 basement y type thing, 201 00:07:24,944 --> 00:07:27,764 are, office space. So a lot of 202 00:07:28,384 --> 00:07:30,544 people rent, you know, one office or a 203 00:07:30,544 --> 00:07:34,004 little suite of offices for various business endeavors 204 00:07:34,225 --> 00:07:34,725 and 205 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:36,060 and all that. 206 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:37,879 So, you know, it's just a lot of 207 00:07:37,879 --> 00:07:39,720 stuff going on there, and they've, you know, 208 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:42,139 really maintained that building pretty well. 209 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:44,920 And some of the cottages as well, they've 210 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:47,080 maintained pretty well, and then some of them, 211 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:47,980 not so much. 212 00:07:48,725 --> 00:07:51,605 But they're still standing, they're still solid and 213 00:07:51,605 --> 00:07:52,824 we'll get to them eventually. 214 00:07:53,605 --> 00:07:55,865 But the the whole place now is called 215 00:07:56,004 --> 00:07:58,504 the the village at Grand Traverse Con, 216 00:07:59,125 --> 00:08:00,585 Grand Traverse Commons 217 00:08:02,529 --> 00:08:03,910 And, yeah, Kirkbride. 218 00:08:04,370 --> 00:08:06,529 That's, that's the word I was looking for, 219 00:08:06,529 --> 00:08:07,750 not Kirkby. Kirkbride. 220 00:08:08,209 --> 00:08:08,709 And 221 00:08:09,730 --> 00:08:12,550 that's, there was four of those Kirkbride, 222 00:08:13,889 --> 00:08:15,589 buildings in Michigan. 223 00:08:15,889 --> 00:08:18,105 Traverse City was just one of them, but 224 00:08:18,105 --> 00:08:18,504 but it was the 225 00:08:19,305 --> 00:08:21,225 actually, I think it's the newest one, and 226 00:08:21,225 --> 00:08:23,085 I think it's the only one still 227 00:08:23,785 --> 00:08:24,764 in use. 228 00:08:25,305 --> 00:08:26,685 Not as a psychiatric 229 00:08:26,985 --> 00:08:28,685 hospital, but as a, 230 00:08:29,865 --> 00:08:30,525 you know, 231 00:08:31,064 --> 00:08:33,065 as anything. You know? I don't know. There 232 00:08:33,065 --> 00:08:35,360 was I think there was one in Kalamazoo. 233 00:08:38,139 --> 00:08:40,220 Where yeah. Here. Let me look here. I'm 234 00:08:40,220 --> 00:08:42,480 kinda flipping through my data sheet here. 235 00:08:44,860 --> 00:08:46,539 But there was, yeah, there was four of 236 00:08:46,539 --> 00:08:47,039 them, 237 00:08:49,585 --> 00:08:50,404 in Michigan, 238 00:08:51,585 --> 00:08:52,884 and I don't remember. 239 00:08:53,985 --> 00:08:56,785 I can't find in here where it where 240 00:08:56,785 --> 00:08:58,304 it says where the other ones are. But 241 00:08:58,304 --> 00:08:59,684 I know there was one in Kalamazoo. 242 00:09:01,289 --> 00:09:03,289 I'm guessing there was one somewhere in the 243 00:09:03,289 --> 00:09:04,190 Detroit area. 244 00:09:04,970 --> 00:09:06,909 But, again, it's kind of the 245 00:09:09,370 --> 00:09:12,250 the last of those buildings that's still kind 246 00:09:12,250 --> 00:09:14,350 of, in its original form. 247 00:09:14,904 --> 00:09:17,625 They did remodel the main entrance a little 248 00:09:17,625 --> 00:09:20,684 bit and modernized it a little bit, 249 00:09:21,144 --> 00:09:22,904 all that. And, you know, I got a, 250 00:09:23,464 --> 00:09:24,845 a listener. I know 251 00:09:25,304 --> 00:09:28,205 Chris is probably listening to this with 252 00:09:28,820 --> 00:09:31,779 in writing notes to, to tell me, how 253 00:09:31,779 --> 00:09:33,480 wrong I am or to tell me more 254 00:09:33,700 --> 00:09:34,919 or more information. 255 00:09:35,539 --> 00:09:37,539 I keep meaning to get him on the 256 00:09:37,539 --> 00:09:40,340 microphone here to, tell all about the state 257 00:09:40,340 --> 00:09:43,865 hospital. He was he's, pretty into the history 258 00:09:43,865 --> 00:09:45,644 of it and does a lot of photography 259 00:09:46,504 --> 00:09:48,924 around it. They do still give tours 260 00:09:49,784 --> 00:09:50,105 of, 261 00:09:50,585 --> 00:09:52,424 the state hospital and, you know, in some 262 00:09:52,424 --> 00:09:54,284 of the areas that haven't been restored. 263 00:09:55,940 --> 00:09:56,440 There's 264 00:09:57,139 --> 00:09:59,540 I guess it's not rumors. There's tunnels that 265 00:09:59,540 --> 00:10:02,040 kinda go between some of the buildings. And, 266 00:10:02,259 --> 00:10:04,500 again, you know, when I get Chris on 267 00:10:04,500 --> 00:10:06,519 here, I'll, I'll let him 268 00:10:07,715 --> 00:10:08,455 talk about, 269 00:10:10,035 --> 00:10:11,254 in much more detail, 270 00:10:11,875 --> 00:10:13,335 but it's a neat old place. 271 00:10:14,754 --> 00:10:16,915 Used to, for a little while when my 272 00:10:16,915 --> 00:10:18,675 wife was running a bagel shop, I used 273 00:10:18,675 --> 00:10:21,235 to deliver bagels over there to a coffee 274 00:10:21,235 --> 00:10:22,295 shop at the Grotto 275 00:10:23,059 --> 00:10:24,980 called Cup O Joe. There's a couple of 276 00:10:24,980 --> 00:10:27,320 local coffee shops called Cup O Joe, 277 00:10:27,779 --> 00:10:30,100 but, that that's one of them in the 278 00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:31,559 in the state hospital 279 00:10:32,419 --> 00:10:32,919 grotto. 280 00:10:33,459 --> 00:10:35,379 And I used to deliver deliver bagels there 281 00:10:35,379 --> 00:10:37,299 and always got a cup of coffee because 282 00:10:37,299 --> 00:10:38,360 they had good coffee. 283 00:10:39,404 --> 00:10:39,904 And, 284 00:10:41,085 --> 00:10:43,164 it I'd be there about 05:30 in the 285 00:10:43,164 --> 00:10:43,664 morning. 286 00:10:45,085 --> 00:10:46,865 Hey. Gotta get there early. 287 00:10:47,804 --> 00:10:48,285 But, 288 00:10:48,764 --> 00:10:49,725 anyway, it's, 289 00:10:50,285 --> 00:10:51,585 it's it's pretty 290 00:10:52,529 --> 00:10:56,209 pretty impressive building. As you drive into Traverse 291 00:10:56,209 --> 00:10:58,049 City, you know, Traverse City is down in 292 00:10:58,049 --> 00:10:58,709 a bowl, 293 00:10:59,009 --> 00:11:00,850 and if you're coming in from the South, 294 00:11:00,850 --> 00:11:03,669 which most people do, they come in 295 00:11:04,049 --> 00:11:05,409 on M 37 296 00:11:05,409 --> 00:11:06,709 US 31, 297 00:11:07,054 --> 00:11:08,654 and as you come over the hill, as 298 00:11:08,654 --> 00:11:10,034 you start into town, 299 00:11:10,574 --> 00:11:12,495 if you look a little to your left 300 00:11:12,495 --> 00:11:14,334 over in the trees, you'll see all the 301 00:11:14,334 --> 00:11:14,834 spires 302 00:11:15,855 --> 00:11:19,134 sticking up from Building 50 and other buildings 303 00:11:19,134 --> 00:11:21,855 around the State Hospital Grounds or Grand Traverse 304 00:11:21,855 --> 00:11:22,355 Commons. 305 00:11:23,179 --> 00:11:23,679 Anyway, 306 00:11:24,139 --> 00:11:25,580 so that gives you kind of a little 307 00:11:25,580 --> 00:11:28,460 overview. I'll, I'll throw a picture of the 308 00:11:28,460 --> 00:11:31,179 Building 50 in the in the show notes 309 00:11:31,179 --> 00:11:33,360 over at mikedell.com. 310 00:11:33,980 --> 00:11:36,565 And, hey, we got a couple more episodes 311 00:11:36,625 --> 00:11:37,285 to go. 312 00:11:37,745 --> 00:11:38,245 Tomorrow, 313 00:11:38,545 --> 00:11:41,105 I'm gonna talk about why podcasting is so 314 00:11:41,105 --> 00:11:41,605 special. 315 00:11:42,545 --> 00:11:44,565 And, then I got a special 316 00:11:44,945 --> 00:11:48,004 last episode for Napod Pomo coming 317 00:11:49,219 --> 00:11:51,959 on the thirtieth, which I believe is Sunday. 318 00:11:52,499 --> 00:11:52,999 So 319 00:11:53,619 --> 00:11:54,919 catch me tomorrow.