Stimson Hospital
Phantom physicians and paranormal patients may still linger in this old Michigan hospital
Paranormal Activity at
Stimson Hospital
- Ghosts of the hospital’s founders have been encountered
- People report being touched by an unseen force in the boiler room
- Strange EMF anomalies have been reported in the former morgue
- An apparition of a pregnant woman has been seen in a patient room
- EVPs have reportedly been captured throughout the house
- The specter of a ghost cat has been encountered
- A 400 year old mirror kept in the home reportedly has strange shadows appear in it
- Sounds of laughter and crying have been heard throughout the house
- The building is now home to a supposedly haunted doll
- RC cars left in certain rooms reportedly move on their own
The Tragic History of Stimson Hospital
In the center of the small town of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, on the corner of Plain Street and Main Street, stands a home that is anything but plain. The historic deep purple home, still called Stimson Hospital, holds many remnants from its past lives. These include burn marks from past fires and the remains of a perilous elevator shaft.
And, depending on who you ask, you might hear of lost souls lingering as remnants of the hospital’s history.
Over the course of its life, Stimson Hospital brought over 3,000 new lives into the world and sent many more off to the afterlife. Perhaps it isn’t surprising that Stimson Hospital’s walls now tell ghost stories to anyone who will listen.
Timeline of Stimson Hospital's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Stimson Hospital through the years
1917
The home that would become Stimson Hospital was built in the 1870s for a man named Sweezey. Little is known about Sweezey other than his name, and the fact that he built the home. By the 1910s, the home was owned by a dentist, Dr. William Puffenberger.
In 1917, Puffenberger sold the home to Harriet Chapman. Chapman, along with Doctors Charles Stimson and Francis Blanchard went to work converting the home into a hospital.
1919
By 1919, Stimson Hospital (or Harriet Chapman Hospital, as it is also called) was humming along treating injuries and curing illnesses. But, mere months after opening, tragedy struck the hospital: Late one evening after a surgery, Dr. Francis Blanchard accidentally stepped into the hospital’s empty elevator shaft.
After a long fall to the basement, hospital staff tended to Dr. Blanchard, but it was too late and Dr. Blanchard died. Despite the tragedy, Chapman and Dr. Stimson worked hard to keep the hospital functioning.
1957
Stimson Hospital served as an Eaton Rapids hospital until the 1950s. In that time, thousands of babies were born in the second floor birthing suite, and countless patients visited the small first floor ER. And, both Dr. Stimson and Harriet Chapman met their ends in the hospital during its operation.
Chapman spent the end of her life ill in a second floor patient room, and Dr. Stimson died at his desk from an apparent heart attack. And, by 1957, more modern facilities beckoned the local population away and Stimson Hospital closed.
2017
After the hospital closed, the old mansion was broken up into apartments, though many relics of the hospital remained. The old elevator even remained until a 1976 fire. The building lived quietly as apartments until 2017, when it came under its current ownership.
Hoping to convert the mansion to a bed & breakfast, the new owners went about renovating, uncovering many reminders of the manor’s past. And with those reminders came ghostly activity, and the hauntings from within Stimson Hospital have made themselves known ever since.
Is Stimson Hospital Haunted by its Founders?
As all three of the hospital’s founders died within its plum-tinted walls, it shouldn’t be too shocking to hear reports of their spirits still floating through the halls.
Dr. Stimson is most frequently reported in his former office, where he died in the midst of paperwork. Now, you can reportedly hear him, and some ghost hunters have captured EVPs in the space.
Upstairs, in one of the former patient care rooms, Harriet Chapman’s specter reportedly lingers. She has often been heard in the area, with sounds of a woman weeping around the second floor being a common claim.
Additionally, some strange photographs have been taken in Chapman’s treatment room, including one that paranormal enthusiasts claim is a full-bodied apparition. Whether that specter is Harriet or another lost patient is up for debate. And, perhaps most unsurprisingly, Dr. Blanchard’s ghost is also reported in the hospital, most often in the basement.
Paranormal Claims in the Hospital’s Basement
The basement of Stimson Hospital is said to be an especially active hotbed of ghostly activity. Whether or not this is all due to Dr. Blanchard’s phantom is unknown. Dr. Blanchard’s ghost is frequently sought after and encountered around the bottom of the old elevator shaft.
Many visitors have attempted to record EVPs in that area in hopes he will respond. Not far from the elevator shaft is the former morgue, and visiting ghost hunters regularly report EMF anomalies in the room. Some of these anomalies have been said to exceed 1000 milligauss readings.
Investigators Grabbed by Ghost in Hospital Basement
In the basement boiler room, a particularly handsy specter is said to roam. If you spend too long in the boiler room, ghostly hands will reach out and touch you. Others have reported being fully grabbed by these mysterious, invisible hands.
As if the grasp of ghosts weren’t enough by themselves, the boiler room is also a shadow figure hotspot. Across from the boiler room’s doorway is a space leading to the former cafeteria, and many visitors have seen shadows dart across that empty space or peek around the doorway.
Disembodied Voices Heard In Eaton’s Haunted Hospital
Along with its numerous haunted hotspots, Stimson Hospital is known for having paranormal activity throughout. EVPs are frequently captured in numerous different areas, and strange sounds are common just about everywhere. Some of the more common sounds reported are the weeping from Harriet Chapman’s room, as well as the sound of children laughing.
Another, unique type of ghost known for wandering the building is a ghost cat. Whether it’s the sound of meows or the sensation of a cat rubbing against you, the hospital’s ghost cat has many ways of saying hello.
Eaton Rapid’s Haunted Collection of Objects
If the paranormal claims attached to the building don’t interest you, Stimson also has a collection of reportedly haunted objects. One of the most notable pieces is a centuries-old mirror that plays home to shadow figures. Many visitors have seen strange, shifting shadows in the mirror and captured anomalies in photos of it.
On the second floor, there is also a purportedly haunted doll that must be offered a tribute of some trinket or coin if you are to safely interact with it. If you don’t leave an offering, or worse, if you take one, the doll’s curse may haunt your nightmares. And, perhaps most strange of all, is a haunted RC car that is known for moving around by itself. It is said to operate by itself even with no batteries installed in it.
Spend a Night at Stimson Hospital
Though the end goal for Stimson Hospital is to be a bed & breakfast, the current owners often make time for paranormal events and ghost hunts. Booking your own tour or spooky overnight at the hospital is as easy as reaching out to them through their Facebook page.
But be sure to book ahead, as this haunted Michigan hospital is bound to only get more popular as more people hear its countless ghostly tales.
And if you find yourself spending a night at Stimson Hospital, don’t be shocked if something invisible touches you. It might be the steady hand of a spectral surgeon… or just the infirmary cat.
