Preston Hollow in Dallas in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Ursuline Academy
Photographed by Gary Estep, February 28, 2026
1. Ursuline Academy Marker
Bishop Claude Marie Dubuis, wishing to establish a Catholic school in the rapidly-growing area of North Texas, assigned six Galveston-based Ursuline nuns to the task in 1874. In January of that year Bishop Dubuis traveled with the sisters to Dallas and assisted them in opening the school.
The first facility available to the new academy was a small four-room frame cottage located near Sacred Heart Church in downtown Dallas. The church's pastor, Father Joseph Martiniere, worked closely with the nuns in establishing the school, which officially opened on February 2, 1874, with seven students.
As enrollment grew, plans were made to build a larger facility. In 1884 the school moved out of the downtown area to a new brick building located at Bryan, Haskell, and Live Oak streets. That building served the academy until 1949, when the school relocated to this site.
Generations of Dallas girls have attended Ursuline Academy. One of the city's first kindergartens opened as part of the academy's program in 1918. Its grammar school section was discontinued in 1976, and the emphasis after that time was placed on high school education.
Erected 1989 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 6909.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
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Location. 32° 52.8′ N, 96° 49.368′ W. Marker is in Dallas, Texas, in Dallas County. It is in Preston Hollow. It is on Walnut Hill Lane 0.1 miles east of Surrey Oaks Drive, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10014 Surrey Oaks Dr, Dallas TX 75229, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Merrell Cemetery (approx. 1.4 miles away); St. Mark's School of Texas (approx. 1.4 miles away); W. P. Cochran Homeplace (approx. 1.4 miles away); Cochran Chapel Methodist Church (approx. 1½ miles away); Cochran Chapel Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); Garvin Memorial Cemetery (approx. 1.8 miles away); Junior League of Dallas (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Hockaday School (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dallas.
Photographed by Gary Estep, February 28, 2026
2. Ursuline Academy Marker
Photographed by Kayla Harper, September 18, 2020
3. Ursuline Academy Marker
Photographed by Kayla Harper, September 18, 2020
4. Ursuline Academy Marker
Photographed by Kayla Harper, September 18, 2020
5. Ursuline Academy Marker
Photographed by Kayla Harper, September 18, 2020
6. Ursuline Academy entrance
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 675 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 28, 2026, by Gary Estep of Anna, Texas. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 19, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
