Lately there have been popular social media posts about ‘urban explorers’, setting out on a voyage of discovery to take eerie photos of The Raleigh Catholic Orphanage, where mistreated kids haunt the building to this day.. ?

We found that a bit odd, because the orphanage isn’t still standing. A cursory look and we actually found it, under an NC State parking lot.

The Facts

Here’s the Orphanage on a 1927 Sanborn fire insurance map, notice it’s off old Avent Ferry road:

I say ‘old’ because Avent Ferry was moved, the old Avent Ferry is now the Rocky Branch Trail and Centennial Parkway becoming Avent Ferry again when the Parkway terminates into the road.

Anyway, that is the orphanage, notice three buildings. Here’s a painting of the Orphanage, notice the driveway:

And now notice the three buildings and driveway in this 1938 aerial photo:

When the aerial is georectified to a modern map, notice this is now under NC State Parking lots:

Who knows what buildings the ‘urban explorer blog’ contingent was actually taking blurry, dimly lit photos of, but it wasn’t Raleigh’s old Catholic Orphanage.

Again, we’ve ruined everything. 🙂