Northville, Michigan
Northville, Michigan was host to a rather large psychiatric facility from 1926 to 1974. Serving mainly children and the criminally insane the hospital had a long history of neglect, abuses by doctors on patients, and the cruelest types of cures up to and including lobotomies as late as 1972, long after such procedures were deemed archaic and ineffective. During this time a sizable community also developed in the area (Northville, MI). There was some concern that transporting the deranged to and from the facility through the town posed too great a stress risk to the patient, and too great a health risk to the public (as mentioned many of these individuals were criminally insane).
So a plan was hatched. Already under the facility there was several steam tunnels and maintenance passages. The plan was to build off of these to construct a series of tunnels under the entirety of the town with the express purpose of being able to transport patients into and out of the town without actually taking them through any civilian population centers.
Now this next bit is up for debate, as it has never been truly confirmed as there was a distinct lack of reporting. But, the story goes that one night a patient by the name of Herbert Godfried, an architect, broke into one of the offices and discretely altered several of the tunnel plans. Other stories say the hired architect snapped, others blaming casper but ya know how these rumor mills go. Anyway, long story short rather than dozens of concise, well laid out and marked tunnels what was made was a labyrinth, twisting passages and empty rooms, building and building on each other quietly under the town.
In 1974 construction came to a sudden halt as the facility (like so many others across the country) was shut down. The workers went home, the doctors went on to other jobs, and most of the patients were sent to other facilities. However those who were deemed either 'sane enough' or 'non-risks' were simply released. Many of these patients were in the facility for decades, leaving them no support network to fall back upon. So, many simply stayed. Now the hospital itself was patrolled, but the ill mapped tunnels were mostly left undisturbed so many simply moved down there.
People forgot, and the facility was left to rot. That is until December 23rd 1987. A Debby Finch was out finishing up some Christmas shopping when she stooped down to give a homeless man some change. According to witnesses the man instantly began screaming at her, then hit her several times in the head with a loose chunk of cement. He then proceeded to drag her down an alley. When police arrived they found no sign of her or her attacker. However upon inspection of the tunnel they found a sewer grate bearing the markings of the old asylum.
They opened it to find that it was a concealed entrance to the tunnels. They followed the man into the tunnels, and after an exhaustive search found both him and the missing woman. The man had raped Ms. Finch and was attempting to perform a catholic exorcism on her. When cornered the man charged the police who were forced to fire. To this day the man has neither been identified as either simply a homeless man or one of the facilities former patients.
The tunnels were searched, and although more evidence was found of recent habitation by more than one individual no other people turned up. So, the police did the only logical thing. They located as many entrances to the tunnels as possible and welded them shut. And for twenty five years they were left to rot. But, a few entrances were missed, and for much of that time intrepid and stupid high school students would journey down into the tunnels. Stories from them are highly questionable but here are a few known facts. Many claim to have seen signs of recent habitation, others report feeling watched, but the overwhelming consensus is that the tunnels seem intentionally designed to get you lost. I myself went down there when I was younger and can concur that many of the design elements of the tunnels seem either immensely illogical or the workings of a supremely well designed maze.
As mentioned much of this story cannot be validated, as it is mostly local lore in the area. But I thought it would be worth posting because recently the last known entrance to the tunnels was shut down, sealing whatever secrets they had left within them inside.
Investigators who have gone over what little files remain from the original hospital have found a minimum of twenty patients who's whereabouts after the hospital closed are unknown. To this day individuals often report homeless individuals seemingly vanishing down alleyways and under bridges.
May not be wholly true, its mostly conjecture and rumors spread about. Happy Holidays!
#Building/Hospital #Area/Tunnels