Eloise began as the Wayne County Poorhouse in Detroit in the 1830s to care for the needy and indigent. By the mid 1850s it also began housing the insane, and overcrowding forced it to move to Nankin Township, modern day Westland. As the 20th century began, the tuberculosis hospitals in Detroit were overflowing so Eloise took on a new responsibility- caring for those diagnosed with TB, known in the late 1800s as consumption. Join us as Joe Oldenburg shares the many roles and tumultuous history of Eloise.

Joe Oldenburg is a local historian, retired Librarian from The Detroit Public Library, and docent at the Henry Ford Museum.