Lost Superior: St. Joseph Orphan Home

ChapelSt.Joseph

I found some amazing pictures of the chapel in St. Joseph Orphan Home. It was mostly referred to as “the orphanage” and was located just to the east of the Mariner Mall in Superior.

See the photos at the Badger Catholic blog.

14 Comments

johnm

about 14 years ago

I noticed on the posting that Architectural Antiques indicates that they conducted the salvage at the site.  I thought they only bought the angels?  I know I took down the ceiling medallions and much of the plaster work and other treasures.  I still have parts at the shop if anyone is in the market.

thedoog

about 14 years ago

When I was in high school the Superior Jaycees and the high school drama club would hold a huge haunted house in the old childrens home. The overflow line would be seated in the church pews to watch classic horror movies while they waited. It was very atmospheric. Another cool thing about the location was, some of the years they gave you the option of exiting the place by an old evacuation slide that corkscrewed down 3 stories in the dark. I think insurance  issues got in the way of keeping that feature going.  
 Best haunted house EVAh!

Dave Sorensen

about 14 years ago

That was amazing. Too bad it was taken apart. As kids playing on what was  then undeveloped land around the children's home, we'd stumble on the marble cast-offs from the sculpters.

TimK

about 14 years ago

Didn't Go-Go-Van-Go (aka Kevin Sirek) grow up there?

Dave Sorensen

about 14 years ago

Not sure, Tim. I didn't know Kevin until college, and never heard about it. I think he lived in California for part of his childhood. He might have been raised by wolves.

bfinstad

about 14 years ago

LOVED that haunted house story.  Especially the part about the evacuation slide.  That must have made the coolest haunted house EVER!

Tony D.

about 14 years ago

I have a few postcards of St. Joe's in the X-Comm archives. You must have been playing in the overgrown grotto. 

Lord Phosphorus

about 14 years ago

Yeah, Dave... I remember when we found that large statue of some saint half-buried in the ground and it was very mysterious and weird!

Matt O

about 13 years ago

I remember the haunted house, scary stuff, you would walk through the old boarding rooms.  Also, I contacted one of the guys at Architectural Antiques a few years back and he said he had a picture of the chapel as they were taking it down.  My mother visited a church in Spokane, WA where a lot of the cherubs were sent.  I think she might have some pictures, I'll try to find them.

KEVIN SIREK MCNEALEY

about 13 years ago

My mother died when I was 1 year old. I lived at St. Joseph until I was about 4 years old. I cried for her in that chapel every day.

KEVIN SIREK MCNEALEY

about 13 years ago

Shout out to "Iron Youth."

Timk

about 13 years ago

Go Go Van Gogh!

Jes Schmidt

about 9 years ago

Kevin Sirek McNealey:

My mother died when I was 1 year old. I lived at St. Joseph until I was about 4 years old. I cried for her in that chapel every day.
If this person had the nickname of Sandy, it is possible that I know him and would enjoy knowing how he is doing.  

DKL

about 6 years ago

I lived at St. Joseph's children's home in Superior. I think it was in 1969/70, it was a boys home the first year I lived there but went coed the last few months I lived there. It was a very nice place compared to all of the places I lived as a kid. Staffed by really nice caring people who had a positive influence on my life. I still think of them often!

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