Deserted, Eerie, & Permanently Closed: Brook Lodge in Kalamazoo County

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property. 

The Brook Lodge, located a little over a mile north of Augusta in Kalamazoo County,  has had quite the roller coaster ride ever since the 1800s.

It was originally a dairy farm until it was purchased in 1895 by Dr. William Erastus Upjohn – yeah, that Upjohn, of Upjohn Pharmaceuticals. He bought the farm with the intention of turning it into a summer home for his family. It was a pleasant place for the family to go for many years – and then in 1932, Dr. Upjohn passed away.

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Fast-forward to 1956: the Upjohn Company bought Brook Lodge from the family and turned it into a conference center for Upjohn employees. Upjohn finally merged with Pharmacia and Pfizer, the employees moved to new digs, and left Brook Lodge on its own. The land was then given to Michigan State University. MSU sold it to a company who intended to turn it into headquarters for marijuana/CBD production.....that didn’t happen.

Over the years, Brook Lodge became a target for rumors of hauntings. According to a 2018 article of mine, “Guests who stay in the Doctor's Cottage don't stay long; thanks to the continuous bizarre noises & occurrences, they usually request to be given another room. Guests in the Carriage House also claim to experience paranormal activity.”

In 2008, Brook Lodge welcomed an investigation by The West Michigan Ghost Hunters Society who left confused as to whose ghost is haunting the place: Dr. John’s, a family member, or the original dairy farmer who owned it back in the 1800s?

As for the future of the lodge, The Foundation for Behavioral Resources bought it, and hopes to “re-establish Brook Lodge as a community asset fostering public education and other public services.”

Meantime, the gallery below has some images of Brook Lodge, sitting deserted and quiet…

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