Saint Joseph's Academy (Saint Paul, Minnesota) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
St. Joseph's Academy
|
|
St. Joseph's Academy from the south, with the oldest section on the left
|
|
 Location in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 355 Marshall Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.4 ha) |
| Built | 1860–1863, 1871, 1877, 1888 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001016 |
| Added to NRHP | June 5, 1975 |
St. Joseph's Academy (SJA) was a Catholic school for girls in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was open from 1851 to 1971. The school began in 1851 when the Sisters of St. Joseph opened a school in a log cabin. This was in a new settlement on the frontier.
In 1863, the school moved to a new building. This building grew over the years. Today, it is the oldest Catholic school building still standing in Minnesota. The school buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This was because of their importance to local history, architecture, education, and religion. It was special for being Minnesota's oldest known Catholic school. It was also a long-standing landmark and showed how religious groups helped with early education.
Contents
School's Beginning
Fifteen years after the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet came to Missouri from Lyon, France, four Sisters traveled to Minnesota Territory. Joseph Crétin, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of St. Paul, had asked them for help. The community was growing quickly.
The four Sisters of St. Joseph arrived by steamboat in November 1851. They settled near the Mississippi River. Within a week, they opened their first school. It was in the vestry of a log chapel. This chapel was the first version of the Cathedral of St. Paul.
Growing the School Buildings
Soon, the Sisters needed more space. They bought land on the edge of the city. This area was called St. Anthony Hill, but it is now known as Cathedral Hill. In 1863, the first building for St. Joseph's Academy was built. It was at the corner of Marshall and Western Avenues. This building has three and a half stories and is made of limestone. It is one of the oldest buildings in St. Paul.
As the school grew, more buildings were added. These new buildings held new programs and more classrooms. From 1863, St. Joseph's Academy was a boarding school. Students lived there because it was too far to travel daily. This changed in 1905. By then, the city had grown, and more streetcar lines were available in St. Paul. By 1926, St. Joseph's Academy had become one of St. Paul's early high schools.
Learning and Programs
In the early 1900s, the Academy had a great science lab. The school catalog mentioned a "collection of specimens for botanical and geological study." This means they had samples for studying plants and rocks. The business department also grew. Students could choose to work after high school or take classes to prepare for college.
Important People at SJA
From 1882 to 1930, St. Joseph's was home to Ellen Ireland. She was a very smart student and one of the high school's first graduates. Ellen Ireland later joined the St. Joseph's convent. She became Mother Seraphine, a leader of the Sisters in the St. Paul area. St. Joseph's Academy was her home for most of her life. She worked with her brother, Archbishop John Ireland, to help the academy grow. Together, they helped start the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University) in 1905.
In 1901, graduates of St. Joseph's Academy formed a group called an alumnae association. They started a newsletter called Chapter Chats. The newsletter stopped for a while but started again in 1931. Today, the SJA Alumnae Association still sends Chapter Chats to thousands of former students.
Many talented teachers worked at St. Joseph's Academy over the years. Some of the Sisters also shared their skills with the wider community. Sister Mary Aloysius Sherin was a famous math and science teacher from 1935 to 1955. In 1938, Sister Ann Thomasine Sampson became the director of the SJA Glee Club. This singing group was very popular and performed at many events in St. Paul. After she retired, Sister Ann Thomasine recorded oral histories of many Sisters. These stories are still kept in the archives of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Sister Irmina Kelehan was an English teacher at St. Joseph's. In 1956, the Japanese government asked for help to open a school in Tsu, Japan. Sister Irmina joined other Sisters of St. Joseph from around the United States. They opened a school for girls and named it St. Joseph's Academy.
School Closure
In 1971, fewer students were enrolling at St. Joseph's Academy. Also, the old buildings cost more and more to keep up. The Sisters decided it was time to close the school. They chose to focus on other ways to help the community. The property and buildings were sold to Christ's Household of Faith.
