Near Caro, across from the Airport on M-81, is a complex of buildings. They were part of the farm colony of Wahjamega. The name “Wahjamega” is an acronym derived from the initials of its founding sawmill partners: William A. Heartt, James A. Montgomery, and Edgar George Avery.
In 1914, the state established a Farm Colony for Epileptics in Wahjamega, intended to address the overcrowding at the Lapeer State Home for Epileptics. It started out with good intentions for helping people, but the facility gained notoriety for its involvement in eugentics and the forced sterilization of patients, a practice conducted under Michigan law from 1914 to the mid-1960s.
Over the years, the facility has operated under various names. Today, a portion of it continues to function as the Caro State Psychiatric Hospital. Many of the old buildings are gone. This one still stands not far from the hospital. I assume it was patient housing at one time but I am not sure.
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