Raleigh, NC Part III - Cry Baby Lane Part II

Countless hours of personal research has gone into finding the truth about Cry Baby Lane since the visit.

Was there really a fire? If so, did anyone perish in it? Did the boys in the stories really exist and were those their real names? If tragedy truly struck, why did I have such strong feelings of warmth and happiness? With so many burning questions and so few resources, I turned to the most logical one: The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. Churches are known for keepers of history both good and bad. If such a tragedy had happened within their organization, there would be record of it.

THE FOUNDER

1886 - North Carolina's first native priest was ordained, Father Thomas Fredrick Price. A little tidbit: he would become known as the "Tar Heel Apostle" for his tireless efforts to spread his faith.

Father Thomas Frederick Price - the "Tar Heel Apostle"

Father Price accomplished many things throughout his time with Diocese of Raleigh, including founding an orphanage in 1898 for Catholic and Protestant boys. Not too long after Our Lady of Nazareth Orphanage opened its doors, Father Price added a seminary and turned roughly 600 acres into a living, working and safe community. The orphan boys would learn farming, bookbinding and publishing in addition to their religious studies. As many as 100 children were living there at any given time and eventually the orphanage began to accept young girls.

Father Price eventually left Nazareth in 1911 for a mission and in 1919, passed away due to a ruptured appendix. The beatification and canonization for Father Price was opened in 2012 and they are still accepting testimonials.

THE FIRES

Fire did strike at Nazareth, three to be exact.

1905 - A fire broke out and consumed the priest's quarters. One priest was crippled after jumping from a third story window in order to escape flames. Another priest, Father John Gladdish died attempting the same jump after helping his fellow priests to safety. There seems to be confusion on the number of and names of casualties, however. I will go further with this in the next section.

1912 - The stables are destroyed by fire. No one is reported injured.

1961 - While attempting to burn wasps' nests, a priest accidentally started a fire that would burn down the rectory. Again, no injuries reported.

THE CONFUSION

Newspaper clippings supposedly from the time of the 1905 fire boast a lengthy article describing the events of that night. However, there is some confusion in the names of the victims. One article refers to a young boy named Glavish and then later in the same article, mentions him as Gladish. There seems to be no mention of a priest named Gladdish in the articles but countless so-called historians mention him. Considering the times, news took time to go from the scene to print - was it perhaps just the sloppy notes of a scared reporter?

Despite the differences and seeming discrepancies, death did befall the orphanage. A tragedy regardless of age and amount.

THE LOCATION

Perhaps the biggest discrepancy of them all would be in the actual location of Our Lady of Nazareth and it's relation to the famed Cry Baby Lane. As it turns out, we have all been wrong.

The dead-end of Bilyeu Road has long been known as the entrance to the orphanage grounds, however, I believe that over time the direction in which you take has been skewed. Many seekers would take the path toward the old Dorothea Dix asylum grounds, leaving a set of resident homes and the new Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral behind them. This is exactly where I went to. I was looking for an empty field where large building once stood, leaving perhaps just a cornerstone as a reminder. I wouldn't think to go to the brand new cathedral across the street!

After 1942, much of the 600 acres was sold to other ventures and the need for an orphanage was fast disappearing. In 1962, the Diocese announced the building of a new smaller home for children with a maximum capacity of 50. The Diocese also announced that the old girls' dormitories and school building will be dismantled. The chapel would go under restoration and the boy's dorms would turn into offices for the Diocese.

Fast forward to 2015, the groundbreaking day of Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, so named after the original orphanage chapel. If you have a few moments, here is the link to a wonderful presentation explaining the history of the Nazareth property, including the moving of the remaining orphanage cornerstone and statue to the Catholic Center in another part of the city.

https://youtu.be/sh9_7f_v1Rc

And here is an aerial map view of the Our Lady of Nazareth Orphanage grounds and the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral that stands upon it now. This video also shows the location of the grounds in comparison to what is believed to be the entrance to Cry Baby Lane.

THE TRUTH

Events become reports, reports become stories, stories become legends. Whether it's the legend left behind by Father Price or the legend of Cry Baby Lane, it proves our want and need to believe in something extraordinary.

Who was the energy I encountered that day? Did they seek me out from as far as the orphanage grounds, knowing I was looking for them? Was it something different, perhaps from the old nearby asylum? Or perhaps in that same place stood other structures, long forgotten yet holding restless spirits.

The remains of stone foundations and walls are visible throughout the area.

Many of our questions will forever go unanswered, buried under the beautiful trees of Raleigh, NC.

If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend visiting Cry Baby Lane and the Cathedral. Who knows, maybe you'll discover something hidden in the beyond.

A large thank you to Pam for sharing her images and accounts of her and her daughter's visit to Cry Baby Lane.

Another thank you to the Diocese of Raleigh for keeping such detailed accounts in their archives.

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