The next time you take a stroll through Dix Park, keep an eye out for unmarked graves. While at least 20 unmarked graves have been discovered, there are quite possibly dozens or even hundreds more nameless people buried beneath the earth at Dix Park. Who are they? They are a combination of the enslaved persons of Spring Hill Plantation, the forgotten mentally ill committed to Dorothea Dix, and the lost orphans who passed away in the fire at the Nazareth Orphans. Generations of Raleigh’s forgotten people have been buried on that land. It’s very little wonder why so many ghosts stories center around that area.
Fire and Death at the Nazareth Orphanage
Built in 1898, the Nazareth Orphanage was built to shelter Catholic and Methodist boys, and opened a Seminary in 1902. Tragically, in 1905—less than ten years after it was built—the orphanage had its first fire.
According to the legend of Crybaby Lane, the fire was started by escapees from Dorothea Dix Hospital, which had been built decades earlier in the 1850’s. Dorothea Dix followed the best mental health practices available in the day; however, many of these practices included torturous electroshock therapy. Several construction workers who have been inside the vacant buildings of the original Dix campus claim to have seen chains and beds with metal restraints stored in the basement. According to legend, the men who escaped Dix Hill ran across the field, where the ancient oaks can still be seen a century later, and set fire to the orphanage. Many children perished in the flames, and their rattling screams and the smell of smoke carried all the way to nearby homes.
The field is covered in old, overgrown roads and chunks of concrete from the original buildings and foundations that once stood here. There was even an entire neighborhood of houses, which are now striped to their foundations—but the driveways remain, leading into the dark empty woods.
Haunted by Crying Children and the Smell of Smoke
The orphanage was haunted by a series of fires, another in 1912 and a final fire in 1961 which finally destroyed the building. In the 1970’s, the burnt husk of the enormous orphanage still stood in the field, where NC State students and young adventurers would explore in the dark and add to the ghostly legends.
As more and more houses and apartments built up along Bilyeu Street, Avent Ferry, and Western Boulevard, more people began experiencing frightening occurrences. Citizens often complained of hearing the sounds of children screaming and crying from the abandoned orphanage. Whenever the ghostly crying occurred, it was always accompanied by the strong smell of sulfur, fire, and burning flesh.
People exploring the building’s remains often noticed shadow figures and streamers, often claiming to see the faces of Catholic nuns looking out the highest windows.
Crybaby Lane at night, with creepy overgrown roads that lead nowhere, and dozens of orbs floating in the field. Are the orbs perhaps indicative of the dozens of forgotten, unmarked bodies buried here?
The Orphans’ Lost Graves
While the Legend of Crybaby Lane took on life of its own, the real history of the orphanage is perhaps even scarier than the myth. In truth, there is no record of any patients escaping Dorothea Dix to set fires at the orphanage—although this is likely a ghost story the children themselves told each other when staying awake late at night, peering at the very nearby lights of Dix just across the field. After all, with the legend of Spring Hill and the tales of a “thin man” haunting Dix, this land had been haunted way before the tale of Crybaby Lane.
There fire in 1905 did kill two orphans. Three boys found themselves trapped on the top floor, with several priests laying out soft mattresses on the ground below. One boy jumped, landed on the mattress, and miraculously survived. The next boy missed the mark, slamming into the ground and dying on impact. A third boy leapt, half of his body landing on the mattresses and the other half hitting the hard ground. His injuries killed him a few painful days later.
For decades their graves could be found on the grounds where the Nazareth Orphanage once stood. However, as developers moved through the area, expanding Centennial Campus, the graves have been lost. The headstones have been moved all together, leaving no precise marker by which to survey for the buried boys. Historians are uncertain whether or not the bodies were exhumed and carried to the Catholic Dioceses in New Bern — or whether they are now just another pair of unmarked, unnamed bodies beneath the land surrounding Dix Park.
Do you love Haunted History or Paranormal Tours?
Our guides are professional historians, storytellers, and paranormal investigators — so this is more than just a regular tour, just repeating stories you could Google yourself. Our guides have spent years researching the coolest, weirdest parts of Raleigh history—so you’ll learn the stories you won’t find in books or online! In fact, our Haunted History guide did her own investigation at Crybaby Lane, complete with ghost hunting gear and creepy photos.
Many of our tours are already sold out, but we have a handful of seats left, and by popular demand, we’ve expanded our Haunted History tours into November!
Check out our Halloween selections:
Haunted History: Paranormal Investigation - With professional Raleigh historian and REAL paranormal gear.
Oak City Haunted - With professional, creepy, costumed storyteller.
Laugh to Death - With drinks, laughs, and professional comedian.
Pick the tour that fits you best, and come visit some of Raleigh’s most haunted hotspots!
