Helena in Phillips County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Sacred Heart Academy

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, January 17, 2012

1. Sacred Heart Academy Marker

Inscription. In 1858 a boarding school and convent was established on this site in the former residence of Col. Henry L. Biscoe by four Sisters of Mercy who came from Ireland with Bishop Andrew Byrne. The school was in the middle of heavy fighting during the Battle of Helena, July 4, 1863, and was used as a hospital by the Sisters who tended both Union and Confederate wounded. The school was closed from 1868 to 1879 at which time it was reopened by the Sisters of Charity from Nazareth, Kentucky.

Erected 1963 by Erected by the Arkansas Civil War Centennial Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures • War, US Civil • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is July 4, 1875.

Location. 34° 31.298′ N, 90° 35.503′ W. Marker is in Helena, Arkansas, in Phillips County. It is at the intersection of Columbia Street (Business U.S. 49) and Arkansas Street, on the right when traveling south on Columbia Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Helena AR 72342, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Arkansas Delta,

in Crowley’s Ridge,

in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain,

and in the Quapaw Homeland.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: St. Catherine Academy (a few steps from this marker); The Civil War Brings Hardship (a few steps from this marker); The Guns (approx.

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¼ mile away); Battery D (approx. ¼ mile away); Flags over Fort Curtis (approx. ¼ mile away); General J.F. Fagan's Attack (approx. ¼ mile away); Life Under Union Occupation (approx. ¼ mile away); The New Fort Curtis (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Helena.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, January 17, 2012

2. Sacred Heart Academy Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 23, 2012, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 1,415 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 23, 2012, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker in context with surroundings. • Can you help?