Old City Orphanage (Holy Cross) – Haunted Orphanage in Marquette, Michigan

The Old City Orphanage, officially known as the Holy Cross Orphanage, rises from the shores of Lake Superior like a Gothic nightmare, its crumbling brick facade concealing decades of tragedy and loss. This forsaken institution housed hundreds of abandoned and orphaned children between 1915 and 1982, many of whom never left alive, and their tortured spirits are said to forever roam its decaying halls searching for the love and care they never received.

Historical Background

Year Built: 1915

Original Purpose: Catholic orphanage operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph to house abandoned, orphaned, and destitute children

Significant Events: A devastating fire in 1937 claimed the lives of 23 children who were locked in the third-floor dormitory, their screams echoing across the city as flames consumed the wing while nuns struggled to find keys to the barred doors. In 1954, an outbreak of tuberculosis swept through the facility, killing 41 children whose bodies were allegedly buried in unmarked graves on the property to avoid public panic. The orphanage gained infamy in the 1970s when allegations of physical and psychological abuse by staff emerged, with former residents describing brutal punishments including confinement in the basement “meditation rooms” – lightless cells where children were locked for days with minimal food or water.

Paranormal Activity Summary

The most frequently reported phenomena include the sound of children crying, laughing, and singing throughout the abandoned structure, particularly in the dormitory areas and chapel. Witnesses consistently describe feeling small hands tugging at their clothing, toys moving on their own, and the overwhelming sensation of being surrounded by invisible children.

Shadow figures of both children and adults in religious habits appear in windows and hallways, while investigators report their equipment being manipulated by playful spirits. The smell of smoke permeates certain areas despite no fire source, and many visitors experience sudden crushing sadness and anxiety that forces them to leave the building.

Ghost Stories & Reports

The Burning Children: The spirits of the 23 children who perished in the 1937 fire are the most frequently encountered entities, their apparitions appearing charred and reaching out for help. Witnesses report seeing their ghostly forms running through the third-floor hallway engulfed in phantom flames, accompanied by the smell of burning flesh and the sound of desperate screaming that abruptly stops, leaving only silence and the acrid scent of smoke.

Sister Margaret’s Penance: The ghost of a nun who allegedly took her own life in the chapel after the fire, overcome with guilt for losing the dormitory keys, is said to kneel eternally before the altar. Visitors report seeing her translucent figure praying fervently, weeping, and whispering “forgive me” repeatedly, and those who approach her describe feeling overwhelming guilt and despair that brings them to tears.

The Basement Children: The most disturbing hauntings occur in the punishment cells beneath the building, where children locked away in darkness seem to remain trapped even in death. Multiple investigators have recorded EVPs of children pleading “Let me out,” “I’ll be good,” and “It’s so dark,” while others report being touched, scratched, and even bitten by unseen entities in these cramped spaces.

Little Sarah: The ghost of a six-year-old girl who died of tuberculosis in 1954 is known to interact directly with visitors, particularly women. She appears as a pale child in a nightgown, asks people if they’ve seen her mother, and has been photographed dozens of times as a glowing orb or translucent figure in the infirmary wing, where investigators claim to hear her coughing and crying for her mother throughout the night.

The Cruel Headmaster: Father Blackwood, the orphanage director from 1945 to 1967, is believed to haunt the administrative wing where he maintained his office and private quarters. His presence is marked by the overwhelming smell of whiskey and cigars, aggressive energy that physically pushes people, and the sound of his distinctive cane tapping on the wooden floors as his shadow figure patrols the hallways, still enforcing his brutal discipline from beyond the grave.

Most Haunted Spot Inside

The Third-Floor Dormitory’s Northwest Corner: This section where the 1937 fire trapped and killed 23 children remains the most terrifying location in the entire building. The walls are permanently stained with scorch marks that cannot be removed despite multiple attempts, the temperature remains 15-20 degrees colder than surrounding areas regardless of season, and visitors universally report being touched by invisible hands, hearing children screaming in agony, and seeing full-bodied apparitions of burning children reaching toward them before vanishing, with many fleeing in terror after experiencing vivid visions of the fire as if witnessing it firsthand.

Can You Visit?

Open to the Public? No – the building is condemned and legally off-limits

Entry Fee: Not applicable – all entry is considered trespassing

Tour Availability: No official tours are offered due to the building’s dangerous structural condition and legal restrictions. Several local paranormal investigation groups have attempted to secure permission for controlled investigations, but all requests have been denied by the current property owners and city officials.

Photography Allowed? Technically no, as the property is closed to all public access

Visiting Hours: The property is not open for visitation; 24-hour security monitoring and police patrols actively enforce no-trespassing laws

Best Time to Visit

While visiting is illegal, paranormal investigators who have illegally entered report the most intense activity occurs on January 15th (the anniversary of the 1937 fire) and during the months of October through December when supernatural encounters escalate dramatically. Activity allegedly peaks between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM, with multiple investigators claiming these hours produce the most compelling evidence, though all such investigations constitute criminal trespassing and are strongly discouraged by authorities.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

A demolition crew hired in 2009 to assess the building for potential razing abandoned the project after three days when workers reported tools disappearing, hearing children’s voices, and experiencing equipment malfunctions. The foreman documented that four separate crew members refused to return after being “pushed” down stairs by invisible hands, with one worker breaking his ankle in a fall he insists was caused by something grabbing his leg.

In 2014, two urban explorers who illegally entered the building captured video footage that went viral online, showing what appears to be a child-sized shadow figure running across a hallway before the camera malfunctioned completely. Both explorers reported feeling violently ill upon entering the basement and claim they heard their names being called by children’s voices throughout their 45-minute exploration before fleeing in panic.

A local historian researching the orphanage in 2017 interviewed seven elderly former residents, six of whom independently described the same haunting experiences during their time there in the 1960s and 1970s. They reported seeing “the burned children” walking the halls at night, hearing Sister Margaret crying in the chapel, and being terrified of the basement where they claimed “bad things lived in the dark.”

Local Legends & Myths

The Orphan’s Curse: Local legend claims that any person who removes an object from the orphanage will be cursed with nightmares of dying children until the item is returned. At least a dozen people have contacted local paranormal groups requesting help returning stolen bricks, toys, and other artifacts after experiencing terrifying dreams and unexplained phenomena in their homes.

The Lake Superior Lights: Residents near the lakeshore report seeing ghostly lights floating from the orphanage toward Lake Superior on foggy nights, which folklore attributes to the spirits of drowned children. Legend states that several orphans who ran away from the institution in the 1920s and 1930s died attempting to cross the frozen lake in winter, and their ghosts still search for escape across the ice.

The Phantom Bell: The orphanage bell that once summoned children to meals and prayers was removed in 1982, but locals swear they still hear it ringing at exactly 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM daily. Those who hear the phantom bell are said to experience a profound sense of loss and abandonment that can last for days.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research conducted an unauthorized investigation in 2011, capturing over 200 EVP recordings in a single night, including clear voices of children saying their names, asking for help, and describing their deaths. The team’s equipment recorded dramatic EMF spikes throughout the building, captured thermal imaging showing child-sized heat signatures moving through empty rooms, and documented multiple shadow figures on infrared cameras that appeared to interact with investigators.

Great Lakes Ghost Hunters spent three nights in the facility in 2015 (with contested permission claims), gathering what they describe as “category 5 evidence” including full-bodied apparitions captured on multiple cameras simultaneously, objects moving on command during spirit communication, and physical attacks on team members. One investigator required medical attention after being scratched across the back by an unseen entity in the basement, with three parallel marks appearing through his clothing as if made by a child’s fingernails.

In 2019, renowned demonologist Dr. Rebecca Thorne conducted a solo investigation and concluded that while most spirits present are residual hauntings of traumatized children, at least one “intelligent and malevolent” entity inhabits the basement level. She documented what she believes to be an inhuman presence that feeds on the suffering of the child spirits, keeping them trapped in the location, though her findings remain controversial in the paranormal research community.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

Trespassing at the Old City Orphanage is a criminal offense prosecuted by Marquette County with mandatory minimum fines of $1,000 and potential jail sentences up to 90 days. The property owner has installed security cameras and motion sensors, and local police respond immediately to any breach of the perimeter, with over 50 arrests made since 2010.

The building is structurally unsound with collapsing floors, exposed asbestos, lead paint contamination, unstable staircases, and the risk of partial roof collapse. Multiple illegal explorers have been seriously injured, including a 19-year-old who fell through the third floor into the chapel in 2016, suffering a fractured spine and requiring helicopter evacuation.

The basement level contains standing water contaminated with mold, bacteria, and chemical runoff from deteriorating building materials that pose serious respiratory and infection risks. Health officials warn that exposure can cause severe illness, and at least three trespassers have required hospitalization for respiratory infections after exploring the lower levels.

Cursed or Haunted Objects

The Punishment Room Door: One of the basement cell doors, removed by a demolition assessor in 2009, is reportedly cursed with extreme negative energy. The man who took it experienced three months of violent nightmares featuring child abuse, developed unexplained scratch marks on his arms and chest, and ultimately burned the door after his own children began reporting “the bad man in the basement” in their home where no basement existed.

Sister Margaret’s Rosary: A rosary allegedly belonging to the suicidal nun, found in the chapel ruins, is said to cause anyone who touches it to experience overwhelming guilt and suicidal ideation. The artifact’s current whereabouts are unknown, but it has changed hands at least six times, with each owner desperate to be rid of it after experiencing severe psychological distress.

The Orphanage Bell’s Clapper: When the bell was removed in 1982, the clapper went missing and has allegedly appeared in various antique shops and private collections around Marquette. Each reported owner has experienced poltergeist activity including objects flying across rooms, disembodied children’s voices, and the sound of the bell ringing despite the clapper being locked away, with most abandoning the object in fear within weeks of acquisition.