Without a winter coat, preteen Mike Farnam tried to escape from Traverse City State Hospital. As he crossed the farm field, which had been closed less than a decade before in 1957, the snow was up to his waist. He approached barn #206 full of cows who were now managed […]
Traverse City Asylum
6 posts
The treatments for mental illness have changed and adjusted over the past century. The Traverse City State Hospital spanned this timeframe. It was a perfect hospital to conduct research. Experimentation was evident as medical regimens were developed. I have held a lot of curiosity about navigating these remedies as our […]
Heading into a small boutique in the basement of the Traverse City State Asylum, I introduced myself to a shopkeeper, “Hi! I’m Martha, a travel blog writer. What stories can you share about this hospital?” A white puff-ball dog entered the shop and crossed to the counter with determination. The […]
“It was a cold snowy day in mid January 1965. We started out just before daylight. The ride was very quiet and long. At times we were in a complete whiteout due to a strong lake effect storm pounding the west coast of Michigan. The heater was on high but […]
Who better to understand mental illness than one who had been seized by authorities and hospitalized five times over a twenty-two year span? Dr. Ferguson led a troubled life of addiction and psychotic breaks. In 1954 he arrived at Traverse City State Hospital, but not as a patient, but rather […]
Have you ever wondered about the Traverse City Asylum? As a youngster we’d drive by it on our way to Lake Leelanau to visit relatives on my mother’s side of the family. As we passed this marker, my mom would share that she had gone to ‘the insane asylum’ every […]