Michigan State Sanatorium

a.k.a.

Howell Tubercular Sanatorium

At one time, the facility was a place to "take the cure" and from the notes on the back of these postcards that Sally Witt, the current development representative for the old Sanatorium site, found at an antiquarian book sale, it appears that this process took several months to a year.

It also appears that people came from all over the United States to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings and the very capable care they received there.

Below is a picture of the Administration Building taken right after its completion in about 1907 by Lyndon's Studio. Apparently these photos were made into post cards so that the patients could keep in touch with their friends and relatives sometimes hundreds of miles away.

Opened on the 10th of September in 1907, the facility had an administration building and several "open-air" shacks out behind the building. If you look to the left behind the administration building in the picture above you can see the  patient "shacks". These each accommodated ten to twelve persons. The men's facility was opened first and the women's opened in about 1908. Bed rest was the treatment required, usually twenty hours a day with the only exercise being the walk to the dining room. Treatment consisted of this total rest as no drugs were used and of course no surgery was ever considered. The men were allowed playing cards and the women handiwork of any kind but that was about the extent of it.

The patients were kept in two files, either they paid for their own care or they were state or county cases and both were charged the same, a fee of $7.00 a week.

People came from the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Northern Michigan areas as well as other states, but few ever came from the Howell area.

If you would like to read more about the facility you can obtain a copy of the 1976 Howell Bicentennial History Book from local bookstores or the Livingston County Historical Society.

Below is another view of the main building at the center.

If I find more photos, I will put these up for your information.

After the property had been used for various state services through the years, they seemed to go into a state of disrepair and were finally torn down in the 1970's after kids would use the site for their own activities.

The land, which is in a beautiful part of Livingston County, some say the highest point of the county lay unused for almost two decades. The towering, mature trees that include oak, pine and many other hardwood and deciduous varieties make for a potentially beautiful place to live.

The proposed homes that will be built in the area will be called Georgetown and will be placed on a minimum of one to two acres, prices ranging in the $400,000 range. To announce this new development, there will be a reunion on the 27th of June for any previous patients of the Sanatorium. If you are interested in more information regarding this venture please contact Sally or David Witt of Heritage Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate who also have their website hosted by Internet Services of Michigan. Sally has always been great supporters of the community and has helped me acquire the photos above and is attempting to gain yet more information to add to this site.

If I can get some interviews with those that attend the reunion, I will add these at a future date.

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