Cedar Grove Academy

CEDAR GROVE ACADEMY in 1812 three women lay teachers form the school of the Saint Charles Congregation in Lebanon, Kentucky under the direction of Father Charles Nerinckx, founded the first American religious congregation with no foreign affiliation or connection at St. Charles Church near Bardstown, Kentucky. The order, named the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross, spread throughout Kentucky and the Midwest, eventually reaching as far as New Mexiko.

 The principal mission of the congregation were the glory of God, the santification of their own souls and the salvation of their neighbors through the education and instruction of young females. It was that responsibility that led in 1842 to the founding of Cedar Grove Academy in the Portland area of Louisville. The school was officially christened St. Michael's Academy and shortly thereafter named Mount St. Benedict's Academy. By 1860 the "young ladies' academy" at 318 Thirty-fifth St. was popularly known as Cedar Grove because of the numerous evergreens surrounding the property. Located on an elevated site, it was known for its healthy and pleasant situation. A low wall surrounded the buildings, and there was a graveyard for the teaching nuns. It expanded to include a three-story building housing classrooms and a dormitory for boarding students. It had a reputation for excellence classes included rhetoric, composition, botany, natural philosophy, astronomy, and mythology. After World War I the school suffered financial setbacks, and was forced to close in 1925...

(Excerpt from "The Encyclopedia Of Louisville" by John E. Kleber)