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Catholic Orphanage at Nazereth
This large campus of buildings stood at what is today the north entrance to Centennial Campus for most of the 20th century. The main buildings you see in the photo above were constructed in 1927, although the orphanage dates back to 1898. An earlier four-story building burned in 1905. In fact, there were no less than three fires at the site, spawning the "Cry Baby Lane" ghost stories, although there's only evidence of one fire-related death. The orphanage operated until the 1960's, and apparently the Tammy Lynn Center briefly used the facillities from 1972 until the remaining buildings were demolished in the late 1970's.
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NCSU purchased the property in 1986 and construction of Centennial Campus has since drastically changed the landscape, but ruins of the orphanage still remain in the form of brick, rubble and concrete sidewalks that were never removed from the site. Today the orphanage is largely forgotten, but to the countless people that grew up here at a time when the Catholic Church was perhaps not entirely accepted in the South, the site is no doubt an important one. |  |
Holy Name Chapel
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The orphanage was founded in 1898 by Reverend Thomas Frederick Price. Built in 1902, this rectangular church was one of the first buildings on the site. It remained until the site was cleared in the 1970's, when this photograph was taken. |  |
The Main Orphanage Building
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The main building was built in 1903. I've altered this photo from the 1970s to show how the main building appeared at the time. |  |
The 1905 and 1912 Fires
The earliest mention I've found of the orphanage comes from the October 29, 1905 Morning Post, which describes the destruction of the priests' building. I don't know where this building was located. It was possibly on the north side of the road where the simpler priests house was later built. You can read the dramatic story for yourself below.
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On January 21, 1912, fire again broke out in the laundry building of the orphanage. An old dormitory and school room, the laundry building, the barn and the stables all burn completely. I have no photographs or maps of these buildings. There were no injuries. | /> |
The New Orphanage Buildings
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The main building was expanded in 1915 with an addition on the east side between the main building and the chapel(not pictured). Also, at some point before 1925 a priest's house was built across old Avent Ferry road, north of the main building. |  |
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In 1927, the campus was greatly expanded. A west wing was added to the main building in the same castle style and the east wing was expanded. A small kitchen was attached to the west wing(possibly built later). This building remained until the site was cleared in the 1970s. |  |
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Also part of the 1927 expansion, a two-story building of classrooms and a large, four story boys dormitory were constructed east of the chapel. These buildings were likely destoryed when the site was cleared in the late 1970s. |  |
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This aerial photo shows the site in 1954. Notice that Avent Ferry road has been re-routed north to Western Blvd. |  |
The 1961 Fire
On July 12, 1961, Reverend Raymond J. Donohue set fire to the priests house(which is also the Nazareth post office) while trying to burn wasp nests. The house is destroyed, but there are no major injuries. The catholic church built new buildings on the site by 1971 that still stand today. |
The Orphanage Closes
The orphanage was closed at some point during the 1960's. I found some mention of the Tammy Lynn Center using the buildings from 1972 until they were razed in the late 1970's. This aerial photo shows the site as it appeared in 1971. The dozens of small buildings to the east were part of Dorthea Dix hospital and built during the 1950s. As I understand it, they were a subdivision of half-way houses that allowed patients to live somewhat independently. |  |
The Site Today
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For those of us with weak imaginations, here are some recent photographs with a 3-D recreation of the orphanage.
You can see the recreated orphanage in the northeast corner of Centennial Campus.
Then and Now
