Terre Haute Postcards - St. Mary of the Woods College (5)
More postcards from my collection...
Sacred Heart Church
St. Mary of the Woods College
This postcard, stamped in Terre Haute on august 3rd, 1912 has the following text...
A-9969
Made expressly for S. H. Knox & Co.
Made in U.S.A.
Shrine of the Sacred Heart and the
Via Pacis
St. Mary of the Woods College
This postcard, stamped in Terre Haute in September 1922, has the following text...
No. 7111
I have another copy of this card that has the text...
No. 7111
E. C. Kropp Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
In 1840, six Sisters of Providence left their convent in
Ruille-sur-Loir, France, on a journey to the wilderness of Indiana. Mother
Theodore Guerin, a woman whose spirit and philosophy are the foundations the
College relies on to this day, led the sisters on their journey.
Mother Theodore was not the first to step forward when the Bishop of Vincennes
asked the Sisters of Providence to establish an academy for young women in
Indiana. Although she had been decorated by the French Board of Education for
being a highly gifted and efficient teacher, Mother Theodore felt unworthy of
the task of founding an institution of learning. She feared her frail health
might impede the progress of others.
Her superiors, however, were convinced that Mother Theodore possessed the
spirit, wisdom and inner strength needed to oversee the pioneering mission. Her
dedication to teaching and to serving her order led her to accept the challenge,
although she realized it would not be an easy task. Her acquaintances also knew
that she would face great hardship. After hearing of her plans, a doctor who
knew Mother Theodore wrote, "It seemed like hearing of a friend condemned to
death."
During the 40 days of the stormy ocean crossing, they were robbed of a good
portion of the money meant to finance the rest of their trip. When they arrived
in New York, they faced the task of crossing half of a continent where they
could barely speak the language.
The sisters traveled cross-country by train, canal, stagecoach and ferry.
Finally, in one long, arduous last day of traveling, the women crossed the
Wabash River. On Oct. 22, 1840, more than three months after leaving France,
they had arrived in the middle of a dark woods with no house and no other people
in sight. It was only human to shed tears of frustration and disappointment; but
the women quickly offered prayers of thanksgiving. Mother Theodore’s journals
show that the source of the disappointment was not that they had no home - but
that they did not know where they would find students.
Despite these fears, students came seeking their education even before the first
buildings were standing. In 1846, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College was granted
the first charter for the higher education of women in the state of Indiana. The
College conferred its first bachelor of arts degree in 1899.
Conventional Church of the Immaculate Conception
The cornerstone of the present magnificent Church of the Immaculate Conception was laid in 1886, thirty years after the death of Mother Theodore. Although the building was under roof in 1890, the interior was not finished until 1907, when the marbles and altars were installed, the paintings executed and the scheme of decoration completed. The Church was consecrated Oct. 23 that year.
Foley Hall
Originally named Central Hall, work started on this Renaissance Revival style building in 1860. The three-storey, three wing building was completed in 1868. The four-storey frontage was added in 1898. It was closed in 1988 and demolished in 1989. The Providence Center, built in 1990 now occupies the site.
Grotto of Lourdes (Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto)
This replica of the renowned grotto in France was built in fulfillment of a promise by the sisters. In early 1918, as World War I raged in Europe, Mother Mary Cleophas Foley, then general superior, prayerfully promised that, should the war end before the close of the year, a grotto would be erected in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes. After the signing of the armistice in 1918, construction on the shrine began.
Le Fer Hall
Opened in 1923, Le Fer Hall is named for two of Mother Theodore's companions. The French Renaissance style of architecture is well-suited for this "flagship" building of the campus. Today Le Fer Hall comprises faculty offices, classrooms, student housing, student lounges, a student chapel, a ballroom, an exercise room and a Career Development Center.
Providence Bridge
The bridge once divided the campus from the Sisters of Providence on the east-side and St. Mary of the Woods College on the west. A path across the ravine replaced the bridge in 1989.
There are some great photos of St. Mary of the Woods on Galen R Frysinger's website. For further history notes on St. Mary of the Woods see the St. Mary of the Woods College and Sisters of Providence websites.
This page created 27th March 2008, last modified 18th June 2008