HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A six-story Marquette building that housed up to 200 children as the Holy Family Orphanage from 1915 to 1967; current apartment residents report disembodied children's laughter, orbs, and objects moving on their own.
600 Altamont St, Marquette, MI 49855
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Exterior viewable from street; building is private residential apartments with no public access
Access
Limited Access
Residential street; exterior only accessible from sidewalk
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1915 · Upper Peninsula Catholic Orphanage History · Marquette Institutional Architecture · Deinstitutionalization of Child Welfare
The six-story brick building at 600 Altamont Street in Marquette was constructed in 1915 to serve as the Holy Family Orphanage—later referred to in some sources as the Grandview Orphanage. The institution was established by the Diocese of Marquette to care for orphaned, abandoned, and otherwise displaced children from across the Upper Peninsula.
At its peak the orphanage housed as many as 200 children at a time. The facility included dormitories, classrooms, a chapel, and work areas. Children at the orphanage were expected to participate in the daily operation of the institution, including farm work on adjacent grounds.
The orphanage operated under the management of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Institutional records from the facility's operational decades are held by the Diocese of Marquette and Catholic social services archives. Reports of harsh conditions and child deaths circulated in oral tradition among Marquette residents, though systematic documentation of specific incidents is not available in publicly accessible sources.
The Holy Family Orphanage closed in 1967, consistent with a nationwide shift in Catholic social services away from institutional orphanage models toward foster family placements. The building was subsequently converted to residential apartments and has operated as the Grandview Marquette Apartments since that transition.
Sources
The paranormal reputation of the building at 600 Altamont Street rests primarily on accounts from current residential tenants rather than from paranormal investigators with planned access—a distinction that makes the reports somewhat unusual. Tenants have described hearing laughter and crying of children in hallways when no children are present, a phenomenon reported independently by multiple residents over years of occupation.
Additional reports include orbs captured in photographs taken in the building's common areas and individual apartments, and objects moved from where residents left them. The phenomena are attributed in local tradition to the spirits of children who died while in the orphanage's care.
Stories of a boy beaten to death by staff persist in oral tradition. Note on attribution: this specific claim—the beaten child—has not been confirmed in diocesan records, contemporary newspaper accounts, or any primary source available to this research. It should be characterized as undocumented tradition. Institutional violence against orphanage residents was documented at comparable facilities elsewhere in the country during the same era, which gives the claim historical plausibility without constituting evidence specific to this institution.
US Ghost Adventures has published a narrative piece on the Holy Family Orphanage that represents one of the more detailed secondary accounts, though it draws on the same oral tradition rather than primary documentation.
Notable Entities
The six-story building at 600 Altamont Street is a private residential apartment complex and is not open to the public or paranormal investigators. The exterior of the former orphanage structure can be observed from the sidewalk. Visitors should respect the privacy of current residents.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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