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HISTORY OF ST
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There was so much work to be done, that the three sisters begged for more help from France. Fr. Buteux crossed the ocean again and requested more sisters from the Mother General, Mother St. Claude. In Mav 1856. three more sisters arrived from France. On August 14, 1858, another two more sisters amveTm^ell?Jay1.1........................	?i..?	,.??
Mother Esperance now erected a boarding school which opened in 1861. It soon counted 80 boarders.	~~	~	'
Shortly after the Civil War, in 1866, SJA was flourishing. The increase in enrollment necessitated a larger building. In 1871, SJA was chartered by the Legislature of Mississippi.
In the year 1905, the Sisters celebrated their Silver Jubilee. At that time, they had an enrollment of 149 girls, including both boarders and day scholars.
As time went on, the various works progressed, new buildings had to be added and more land purchased.
Then on the night of November 16, 1907, fire completely destroyed all their buildings.
In the morning, nothing but smoldering ruins remained of the school built at the cost of so much labor and sacrifice. In a few hours the work of 53 years vanished in smoke.
Like the pioneer missionaries, the Daughters of St. Joseph went to work immediately. T^uggpftMfe 4^^^jy^^QhrenjHTom^oi^ortl^ead^lvd (known as toin^^|^w^and continuedTne school sesslon^^^^Wl^^^^^^^^^Pl^flP^^and greater ^a three story brick building, Romanesque in style. By October it was ready for occupancy.
Our Lady of the Gulf	New SJA building
Catholic Church	after 1907 fire
In 1923 the Academy was affiliated with the Catholic University at Washington, District of Columbia, and in 1924, it was necessary for Fr. Gmelch, the pastor, to build an annex on the church property to acommodate the increased enrollment,
http: // www. ourladv academv. com/main- schoolhi storv. htm
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