OLDEST -- High School in Oklahoma - Oklahoma City, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 26.249 W 097° 31.587
14S E 633749 N 3922557
Mount St. Mary's Academy, constructed in pre-statehood Oklahoma Territory, is the oldest high school in the state.
Waymark Code: WMFAJV
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 09/20/2012
Views: 3
Constructed in 1903 for the Sisters of Mercy, this is a beautiful five-story brick and stone building which originally stood by itself on a high hill on the south side of Oklahoma City (see photo of postcard showing building as it stood originally - credit OK Hist. Soc). It began as a boarding school for young women and a novitiate for the Sisters of Mercy of Oklahoma. A cornerstone on the northeast side of the building reads "Convent (cross) of Our Lady of Mercy December 12, 1903". This building is the oldest high school in the state of Oklahoma.
In the 1910s, young women also came to the school on a non-boarding status. It remained a novitiate until 1929. In 1950, the school was opened to boys, and an athletic program was started. In 1980, a gymnasium and parking lot were added on the southwest side.
This is a beautifully designed building nestled in among old, large trees and beautiful gardens. The ground floor has a stone facing; floor 2 has arched windows, and floors 3 and 4 have rectangular windows. The fifth attic floor has windowed gables in the steeply pitched composition shingled roof on all sides. At the center, a tall gable-roofed bell tower roars into the sky.
The east-facing entrance has a projected brick portico with stone pillars and an arched brick and stone entrance. Above the portico is a large stone panel which reads: "Mount St. Mary's Academy". This is a beautiful, impressive building, built in the newly settled Oklahoma Territory, four years before statehood.
Today, the high school remains an active Catholic High School. They focus on high academics and service to the surrounding community. Their athletic teams, the Rockets, are competitive in the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) in football, baseball, basketball, soccer, track and tennis. This school building is magnificent and exemplifies the pride and forward-thinking of the early settlers of this great State.
Type of documentation of superlative status: School website - History - last paragraph, 1st sentence
Location of coordinates: Northeast corner at cornerstone
Web Site: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
Post one photo of the waymark that is a different view from the one on the page and describe your visit, including the date. Other information that you may regarding the waymark is encouraged. Neither you nor your GPSr need to appear in any photos!