Since 1842, St. Mary's School has educated women with the belief "...she can do almost what she will for the moral and spiritual welfare of the world." That mission and service to women's education was recognized with a N.C. Highway Historical marker in 1941, which now is weather worn and will be replaced with a new marker Thursday, May 12, 2:40 p.m., on Hillsborough Street near the school's entrance.
The marker dedication coincides with the start of a yearlong celebration of the institution's 175 years of service. Students leaving classes will gather at the marker for brief remarks, lemonade and cake. The school has adapted to meet the changing needs of women, but at the core the mission remains as it was in 1842, being the education of young women to empower the generations of tomorrow.
The school was founded on the site of a short-lived Episcopal school for young men, opened in 1834. The Rev. Aldert Smedes and his wife opened the school to give young women an education as good as any that could be found in New York or other northern schools. By the early 20th century, prominent families from North and South Carolina sent their daughter's to St. Mary's. The school was a haven for families of Union and Confederate generals during the Civil War.
In 1988, the school became an Episcopal boarding and day school high school and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with special interest in the Gothic Revival style campus chapel.
For additional information, please call (919) 807-7290. The Highway Marker program is collaboration between the N.C. Department of Transportation and the N. C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and is within the Office of Archives and History.