Mount St. Mary Academy history

The Sisters of Mercy were founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1831.

The establishment of St Mary’s Academy in 1851 was part of an effort by Arkansas’ first Catholic Bishop, Andrew Byrne, to support Catholic settlement in frontier Arkansas.

1853 - Four German-speaking Sisters of Saint Dominic first arrived in New York City in 1853, leaving behind the security of their convent of the Holy Cross in Regensburg, Germany.

In 1858 the Sisters of Mercy came to Manchester, New Hampshire.

1883 - Thirty years later, at the request of the pastor of St Mary's Church in Newburgh, a small group of the Sisters of Saint Dominic from the Second Street Convent opened Mount Saint Mary Academy in Newburgh, just off Gidney Avenue, on the grounds of the 7-acre McAlpine estate.

In 1884, five Sisters of Mercy, at the request of Bishop Theophile Meerschaert, traveled to what was then known as Indian Territory to establish a school for young ladies at the Sacred Heart Mission near Shawnee.

When fire destroyed the school in 1901, the Sisters decided to relocate to Oklahoma City on donated land on a hill just south of downtown Oklahoma City, overlooking what is now known as the Oklahoma River.

The cornerstone was laid on December 12, 1903, and young ladies arrived from across the United States to be educated at Mount Saint Mary Academy.

St Mary’s Academy moved to her present location in Pulaski Heights in 1908 after outgrowing her Louisiana Street location.

Classes were held there until 1909, at which time the school was moved to a new location in Hooksett, NH, later known as Mount Saint Mary College.

1913 - The Sisters purchased the adjoining 33-acre Van Duzer estate, comprised of “Rosenhof,” a villa mansion in the Gothic Revival style of architecture promoted by Andrew Jackson Downing; the carriage house; the ice house; and the hothouse.

The new school, called Greater Mount Saint Mary, opened in 1927 as the high school.

Mount St Mary Academy continued as a novitiate until 1929, when the Sisters of Mercy of Oklahoma amalgamated into a union with a larger body of the Sisters of Mercy.

By 1930, girls were once more admitted to the Manchester school and it was renamed Mount Saint Mary Academy.

In 1934, the Hooksett building opened its doors as Mount Saint Mary College.

The high school students remained there as well, until 1949 when Mount Saint Mary Seminary (a high school for girls) was established in Nashua.

1950 - The Casa San Jose had served the sisters well, but a new facility was needed to meet the growing needs of the elementary school.

In 1952, the Manchester School - now known as Mount Saint Mary Day School - moved its kindergarten to the building at 147 Laurel Street.

In September of 1954, a new annex named Marian Hall, now called the M-Wing, was dedicated.

As the school grew, in 1959 a three-story wing was added to the north of the original structure to provide more classroom space and an auditorium.

1960 - The Mount opened its doors to the first class of lay women and the college embarked on an amazing period of growth.

In 1961, Mount St Mary’s teaching staff included 16 sisters and two lay teachers.

1963 - Aquinas Hall, named after Saint Thomas Aquinas, opened as the centerpiece of the college's academic life.

1964 - The Mount celebrated the commencement of its first graduates from the four-year liberal arts college known as Mount Saint Mary College.

The boarding facility’s closure in 1970 was prompted by the lack of sisters for staffing and the need to convert dormitories into badly needed classrooms to accommodate the expanding high school enrollment.

In 1975, the elementary school was closed due to the growth and expansion of parochial schools in Greater Little Rock.

One of the most dramatic changes that grew out of the school’s staffing difficulties before 1976 was the closure of the girl’s boarding facility and the elementary school.

The Hooksett campus remained a College until it closed in 1978.

In 1983, Mount Saint Mary Early Childhood Center became its own entity with plenty of room to grow - and so it did, as Nursery School and pre-first grade classes were soon added.

1984 - The college's first master's degree program was introduced, leading to a Master of Science in Special Education.

In 1989, Mount Saint Mary Seminary was renamed Mount Saint Mary High School.

In 1991 the school was the first in the area to implement an alternating block schedule which better prepares students for the type of schedule they will have in college.

1992 - The Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center opened, providing much-needed facilities for recreational and intramural activities, as well as intercollegiate sports.

In 1995, the school’s tradition of service was formalized into the theology curriculum as the Service Learning Program.

In 1998, Mount St Mary Academy embarked on the first major capital campaign in 20 years to provide the facilities that would support the enhanced curriculum in math and science.

In December 2003, the school celebrated its centennial with the kickoff of a $6 million endowment campaign designed to secure the school’s future for the next 100 years.

2004 - A new and improved Guzman Hall opened in the fall of 2004.

In 2005-06 the school began a new PLUSS (Providing the Link to Unlimited Student Success) Program to help those with learning differences excel in a college-prep environment.

2006 - On May 5, the College broke ground for the construction of a new 53,000 square-foot Mathematics, Science and Technology Center addition to Aquinas Hall.

2007 - The new Kaplan Family Mathematics, Science and Technology Center (MST) addition to Aquinas Hall opened in September.

The new MST center features a 3,000 square foot atrium, a Career Center, and Jazzman’s Café.2008 - The college completed a $30 million renovation project on the College Courts, now townhouse-style apartments on the north side of campus for the upperclassmen.

2009 - On May 1, the new MST Center was dedicated as the Kaplan Family Mathematics, Science and Technology Center, in honor of the family of William Kaplan and the Kaplan Family Foundation, which provided the lead gift of $5 million for the Answering the Call campaign.

2010 - The Mount saw the opening of The View, the renovated dining commons in Aquinas Hall.

2011 - In July, the Mount purchased the Dominican Center and 13 acres of property from the Sisters.

A Call to Excellence: The Campaign for the Dominican Center was launched in September 2012, with the goal of raising $10 million for the Dominican Center renovation.

2014 - The new Mount Saint Mary College Library opened in January 2014 in the renovated Dominican Center, along with the newly-cleaned Chapel of the Most Holy Rosary.

2019 - Mount President Jason Adsit launches a vision for the college's future: a comprehensive, institution-wide commitment to service-learning and community engagement.

The Rocket class of 2020 was awarded over $7 million in college scholarships and is headed off to universities all across the country!