This old house stands on the edge of Newberry in the Upper Peninsula. It was once part of the state hospital that was first built in 1895 as the Upper Peninsula Asylum for the Insane. It was funded by the state to treat patients in the Upper Peninsula. By 1911 the name had changed to Newberry State Hospital and had grown to a rather large complex consisting of a main hospital and several other buildings including a nursing school. At its peak, the hospital cared for a thousand patients living at the facility.
The hospital closed in 1992 and a portion of the 750 acres was converted into the Newberry Correctional Facility. As you drive into Newberry from the south it is hard to miss the shiny razor wire fence and guard towers. Behind the prison are some of the old buildings used for the state hospital. You can see some of them from the road but I was not about to get out and explore them with signs posted PRISON PROPERTY DO NOT TRESPASS.
The State Hospital in Traverse City was converted into public space with stores, restaurants, and office space. The Newberry hospital was repurposed just into something I would not want to be a resident of or have to visit. It is strange that of all the times I have been through Newberry I never know the old hospital was there.
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