Haunted Lakeside Sanitarium North of Minneapolis For Sale – Less Than $100k
Near Pine City, Minnesota, just north of the Twin Cities, this .72-acre lakeside property on the market has the old Pokegama Sanitorium built on it. Many haunted stories circulate around town about the facility, and you can own it for a song.
The history of the building goes back to 1903, according to Pokegama History Association. Dr. Henry Lonstreet Taylor used his own money to build a place he could study, treat, and hopefully cure tuberculosis. He was previously frustrated with the way the Minnesota Government was handling the disease and wanted to take care of the disease faster than what was happening.
The hospital made a name for itself because it featured electric blankets, fresh-grown food, and telephone access to the facility, which was considered high-end in its prime. It served as a lakeside retreat where patients could fight TB in a woodsy setting, get proper care by people who understood the disease and offered a somewhat "vacation style" of living.
The old tuberculosis hospital operated from 1905 through 1944, according to the Pine City Area History Association. The history gets very vague in the Pine City Area History write-up. after those dates.
There were various incarnations of the place that included assisted living and child care and many other things. It didn't become anything once Dr. Henry Lonstreet Taylor left and eventually died, it never had a personality again becoming a shell of itself..
The building is still on the property, but it isn't what is being emphasized. The listing is focusing on the beautiful property for sale, and not the abandoned building. It is mentioned that the building can be renovated.
The word around town according to Eric Moen, a ghost hunter, is that some of the people that passed away in the building are still present in the form of spirits that haunt it. You can watch his video below. According to Racket, the Star Tribune didn't rate it in the top haunted places but did mention it.
According to Racket, the same owners of Nopeming outside of Duluth also own this property and have been giving tours for people to do their own investigating.
According to the Pokegama Historical page, Harold Stassen, the 25th governor of Minnesota, received treatment there in 1930; the man is known as the “Boy Governor” and went on to seek the Republican presidential nomination, but lost all 7 times. Maybe he haunts the place because he couldn't even get elected.
There aren't any photos on the official listing inside of the building. That's because, as I mentioned, the building isn't the selling point. It's the property itself, which is by a lake, plenty of private land, and if you wanted to, you could convert the building to something, or start over with a dream house on the property that has great access to the water.
In fact, the listing tells you that the building standing can be renovated but the location is what is being sold as you can see from the YouTube video screenshots.
Beautiful wooded .72 acre site with historic brick hospital building. Come with your ideas for the renovation of this unique building. The current zoning is High-Density Residential. The property offers access to the community well, city sewer, views of Lake Pokegama and the backwaters of the Snake River. Great location, centrally located between the metro area and Duluth just off of Interstate 35 just west of Pine City, and near many recreational lakes for fishing and water sports.
For more on the backstory and a better look at the building and the property, I have included some of the YouTube videos with some of the portions of the building, so you can see what kind of shape it is in.
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