Galveston in Galveston County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Dominican Sisters
Congregation of the Sacred Heart
Photographed by James Hulse, August 14, 2021
1. Dominican Sisters Marker
At the request of Galveston Bishop Nicholas Aloysius Gallagher, Dominican Sister Mary Agnes and Mother Rose Lynch left their Sacred Heart Convent in Somerset, Ohio, to staff a school in Galveston in 1882. Twenty sisters including Sister Agnes and Mother Rose arrived in Galveston on September 29, 1882. Horse-drawn carriages brought them from the railroad station to a 2-story home here owned by St. Mary's Cathedral. They established a convent and opened Sacred Heart Academy on October 9, 1882.
Mother Agnes died in 1891 and was succeeded in the office of Superior of Sacred Heart by Mother Pauline Gannon. Severe damage to the Sacred Heart Convent in the storm of 1900 eventually resulted in its relocation to the Adoue Home at 16th and Postoffice in 1927. A new Sacred Heart Academy, known as the Dominican High School was built at the corner of Postoffice and 15th in 1940. A school for girls operated there until 1968, when the house was leased to O'Connell High School, created by a merger of the Kirwin High School for Boys and the Ursuline and Dominican School for Girls. The Dominican Sisters moved to a new convent in 1974. They presently serve numerous dioceses and arch dioceses in Texas, California, and Guatemala.
Erected 1993 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 7432.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is September 29, 1882.
Location. 29° 18.447′ N, 94° 47.138′ W. Marker is in Galveston, Texas, in Galveston County. It is at the intersection of Market Street and 16th Street, on the right when traveling east on Market Street. The marker is located at the northwest corner of the building by the street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Houston Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. 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, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: George Washington Grover House (within shouting distance of this marker); Landes-McDonough House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Isaac Heffron House (about 400 feet away); Victor Gustafson Home (about 400 feet away); Homesite of Dr. William Keiller (about 600 feet away); The Wilbur Cherry House (about 600 feet away); East End Historic District (about 600 feet away); Mathilda Wehmeyer German-American Kindergarten School (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Galveston.
Also see . . . Dominican Sisters.
At Bishop Gallagher's(Submitted on August 22, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)request they opened Holy Rosary School, a free institution for black children in Galveston, in 1887, and antagonism towards them increased. Parents of the academy children threatened to withdraw their children unless the nuns closed Holy Rosary. The sisters refused, and both Holy Rosary and Sacred Heart Academy prospered. In 1893 the Dominicans opened a free school for the children of the cathedral parish. Source: The Handbook of TexasPhotographed by James Hulse, August 14, 20212. Dominican Sisters Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, August 14, 2021
3. The view of the Dominican Sisters Marker from across the street
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,614 times since then and 131 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 22, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
