Investigation of the Insane
Paranormal stories and sightings abound at the Grand Traverse Commons by
Peggy Probert staff writer
Part 1 Have you heard the blood-chilling story of the woman in a red dress? It takes place at the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane in Traverse City, Michigan. There was a nurse at the hospital who started back to her cottage at the end of a shift. It was quiet, with only the sounds of doors slamming and the drumming of insects vibrating in the air. The streets were enveloped in a blanket of shadow; the only visible light spilled from the windows of passing cottages. As she rides in a carriage, the nurse passes by the bat-shaped main building of the Asylum compound. She sees a woman in a red dress slumped on the side of the road but isn’t able to stop in time to help. After she halts the carriage and walks back down the path, she gets to the spot where she spotted the woman in red only to horrifyingly discover that the woman had completely vanished. This was the first of many sightings of the infamous “woman in red.” This story is told to visitors who venture deep underground in the tunnels that hollow the earth underneath the Asylum. It is told in complete darkness to those who have the mental fortitude to make it far enough down the questionably-stable catacomb tunnels that span the hospital. Whether it be the main building, the cottages, or the tunnels, every place has an unfortunate story that is difficult to tell. Many people question if the Asylum is haunted by those who lived there, and most do not venture in to test their theories. 22 // BGQ // October 2023
Photo: P. Probert
