Article: Coal Delivery to State & County Hospitals, Prisons, Power Plants

In the late 1800's, Michigan began building State and County Hospitals, and prisons. These facilities, which were often in rural areas, depended on on-site power plants for heating and electricity generation. Most of these power plants burned coal, which was brought in to sidings by railroad trains.

Many of these facilities were closed or the power houses were converted to gas by the 1960's or connected to local utilities.

Here is a list of facilities and their railroad delivery system. Most of these facilities had several names over their life time. The most common name is used in this list. Facilities without railroad service are not listed. Additional facilities will be added as they are identified:

State Facilities

Caro Psychiatric Hospital - located in Wahjamega. Railroad siding off MC Caro Branch. Opened in 1914.

Ionia State Asylum - located in Ionia, MI. Now Riverside Correctional Center. Branch of PM line to Howard City, just north of Ionia.

Kalamazoo State Hospital - located in Kalamazoo near Western Michigan University. Railroad siding off the Michigan Central west of the Kalamazoo station. 1857-1969.

Lapeer State Home and Training Center. Lapeer, MI.

Michigan State University, East Lansing. Power house served off siding on the Pere Marquette.

Newberry State Hospital - south of Newberry, MI in the upper peninsula. Siding to power plant off the DSS&A railroad. 1885-1992.

Northville State Hospital - located in Northville township, just east of the City of Northville. Railroad siding to power plant off the Pere Marquette (CSX) north of Plymouth. 1952-2003.

Pontiac State Hospital - located on the Grand Trunk via a short spur south of Pontiac Yard.

Traverse City State Hospital - located west of the Pere Marquette Boardman Yard. Reached off a wye and ½ mile branch line to power house. 1881-1989.

University of Michigan Power House - located in downtown Ann Arbor. Reached off a short branch on the Michigan Central main line east of the Ann Arbor station. UM had its own electric powered railroad to bring coal from the MC to the power plant. The plant provided steam to the university and its hospital.

Ypsilanti State Hospital, York Township - located on the Ann Arbor Railroad north of Milan. Reached on a ½ mile branch line at Urania.

County and Local Facilities

Eloise Psychiatric and TB Hospital, Eloise - located on the Michigan Central main line east of Wayne (now in Westland). 1839-1982. The railroad had a short spur which crossed Michigan Avenue. Also had a small passenger station here. During the depression this facility had 10,000 residents.

State and County Prisons. Jails and Training Schools

Adrian State Girls Training School, Adrian Township - spur to power house of the DT&I railroad north of Adrian.

Detroit House of Correction (second), Plymouth Township, MI - located on the Pere Marquette west of Plymouth.

Ionia Reformatory - located on the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee (GT) just west of Ionia. Accessed by a railroad siding. PM may also have had access.

Jackson Prison (original), Jackson, MI - located on the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw railroad after 1866

Jackson Prison (new/current). Jackson, MI - located north of Jackson on the Grand Trunk Jackson branch. The MC also had trackage rights to serve the prison.

Marquette Branch Prison. Marquette, MI - located on the DSS&A line south of Marquette. Siding to facility.

Coal Power Plants

Coldwater

Essexville

Lansing Board of Water and Light

Luna Pier

Marquette Board of Light and Water

Marysville

Monroe

West Olive