Mount Clemens in Macomb County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Saint Mary's School
Photographed By Joel S., July 17, 2015
1. Saint Mary's School Marker
In 1870 Father Camillius Maes of Saint Peter Parish erected Saint Mary's School on this lot, adjacent to the church. When the grammar school opened in that year, it was the first Catholic school in the city and in Macomb County. Three nuns from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent in Monroe were chosen to teach the students, eighty in the first year. The school was a two-room, two-story wooden structure. The boys were taught in one room and the girls in the other. All received instruction in basic elementary education subjects and chuch doctrine. By 1882 Saint Mary's annual enrollment numbered about 170 students. The first class -- all girls -- was graduated in 1885. The boys had their first graduation in 1909. The sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary taught at the school until 1986, when lay teachers look over the instruction.
When the original portion of the present Saint Mary's School opened in 1889, the Mount Clemens Monitor called it "one of the most substantial and best finished buildings in Mount Clemens." Built in the Second Empire style, it was a square, towered, three-story building with classrooms and offices on the first two floors and an auditorium on the third floor. The third story burned in 1957 when a fire at Saint
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Erected 1995 by Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1939.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.
Location. 42° 36.02′ N, 82° 52.741′ W. Marker is in Mount Clemens, Michigan, in Macomb County. Marker is on New Street, 0.1 miles south of Southbound Gratiot Avenue (Michigan Highway 3), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 96 New Street, Mount Clemens MI 48043, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Zion Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Carnegie Library (about 400 feet away); Crocker House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mount Clemens Pottery (approx. 0.2 miles away); John DiGiorgio
Photographed By Joel S., July 17, 2015
2. Saint Mary's School Marker
Also see . . . History of St. Mary School. School website entry (Submitted on July 18, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Additional commentary.
1. St. Mary School moved.
In 2013, St. Mary School moved to a new location, 2 Union Street, about 0.3 miles away.
— Submitted July 18, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
Photographed By Joel S., July 17, 2015
3. Saint Mary's School and Marker
Photographed By Joel S., July 17, 2015
4. Saint Mary's School Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on April 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 18, 2015, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
