Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
C. Cecilia Morse
June 3, 1838 - June 13, 1926
Foundress of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in San Antonio, Florida
Photographed By AGS Media, September 12, 2010
1. C. Cecilia Morse Marker
In 1883, as a young widow with 6 children, she moved to the Catholic colony of San Antonio, FL in Pasco County only to discover that there was no school. Telling the colony's founder "The minds of the children now here won't wait" she began teaching the first 14 students (including her own 6) in her kitchen in October of 1883. In April 1884, classes were moved into the church to accommodate more pupils and by that fall a schoolhouse adjacent to the church had been built. Mrs. Morse continued teaching at St. Anthony of Padua School until the Benedictine Sisters arrived in 1889. A few years later she moved her entire family to Tampa where she would live for the next 35 years. The true pioneer of Catholic parochial education in the Diocese of St. Petersburg rests here, along with five of her children, who themselves were among those first local Catholic parochial students.Erected by Diocese of St. Petersburg.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1884.
Location. 27°
Photographed By AGS Media, September 12, 2010
2. C. Cecilia Morse Grave and Historical Marker
Mother
Charcila Cecelia Moore
Wife of
Charles N. Morse
1838-1926
Her children rose up and called her blessed.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Pioneer Priests' Graves (within shouting distance of this marker); Kennedy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 29 Sea Captains and Mariners (about 300 feet away); Victims of the Yellow Fever (about 300 feet away); Confederate States Soldiers and Sailors (about 400 feet away); Tampa Native Americans (about 400 feet away); Fort Brooke Mass Grave (about 400 feet away); Oaklawn and St. Louis Cemetery (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.
More about this marker. The marker is located at the foot of Cecilia Moore Morse's grave, in the Morse family plot at the St. Louis Catholic Cemetery (a.k.a. Oaklawn Cemetery), on the north end of downtown Tampa.
Regarding C. Cecilia Morse. The city of San Antonio, Florida, is north of Tampa, in Pasco County. It is adjacent to the town of St. Leo, which is home to Saint Leo University, the first Catholic college in Florida.
The school founded by Cecilia Morse continues to operate today as St. Anthony Interparochial Catholic School.
Charcila Cecilia Moore Morse (her full name) is buried with five of her six children: Malcolm, Charles, Cecilia, Evangeline, and Ethel. The sixth, Frank, was a WWI veteran who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. None of her children ever married.
(Source: http://www.fivay.org/san_antonio_schools.html)
Photographed By AGS Media, September 12, 2010
3. C. Cecilia Morse Marker
Additional keywords. St. Louis Catholic Cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2010, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,167 times since then and 16 times this year. Last updated on November 11, 2010, by Fr. Len Plazewski of Tampa, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 16, 2010, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
