Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
Italy • 9 days, 8 nights
Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
1 day ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
2 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
2 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California Grass Valley Mount Saint Mary's Academy

Mount Saint Mary's Academy

The oldest continuously operating Catholic school west of the Mississippi.

Grass Valley, California

Added By
Rachel James
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Rachel James
  Rachel James
  Wikicommons
  Rachel James
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Father William Dalton had some concerns about the souls of his rough-and-tumble fellow Irishmen settled in the wild, gold-riddled foothills of Grass Valley. It was time to call in the sisters.

The California Gold Rush was prosperous but dangerous, and Grass Valley was the very heart of the adventure. Eager settlers came to the hard-to-reach boomtown in droves to chase fortune, but mines and mining settlements are dangerous places and gold can drive previously upstanding men to murder. It was no surprise that as quickly as the town filled with fortune seekers, it also filled with orphans. 

As the town grew and the homeless children multiplied, Father Dalton sent word back to County Cork in Ireland that he desperately needed Sisters to operate an orphanage in the wild western free-for-all that was Northern California. Mother Mary Baptist Russell selected five Sisters of Mercy to accompany her, and in 1866 Mount St. Mary's opened its doors to its first small charges. The first orphanage to serve the Northern mines, it housed homeless children from 1866 to 1932, becoming an academy in 1868, and served as a convent as well until 1968. 

The school still operates as a private Catholic school for Grass Valley residents.  It sits on the corner of Church and Chapel opposite the corner occupied by Old St. Patrick's Cemetery. The building that used to serve as the orphanage is now home to the Grass Valley Museum.  A modest door on the second floor opens up into spacious rooms filled with artifacts, photos and histories of the Sisters of Mercy and the town they traveled across the sea to care for.

Related Tags

Gold Rush Boomtowns Sacred Spaces Repositories Of Knowledge

Community Contributors

Added By

Rachel

Published

August 26, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Mount Saint Mary's Academy
400 South Church Street
Grass Valley, California, 95945
United States
39.214543, -121.067826
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Grass Valley Museum

Grass Valley, California

miles away

Old St. Patrick's Cemetery

Grass Valley, California

miles away

Swan Levine House

Grass Valley, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Grass Valley

Grass Valley

California

Places 9

Nearby Places

Grass Valley Museum

Grass Valley, California

miles away

Old St. Patrick's Cemetery

Grass Valley, California

miles away

Swan Levine House

Grass Valley, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Grass Valley

Grass Valley

California

Places 9

Related Places

  • Grass Valley, California

    Old St. Patrick's Cemetery

    Established in 1853, this crumbling cemetery sits forgotten on the corner of Church and Chapel in Gold Country.

  • Silver City Ghost Town

    Bodfish, California

    Silver City Ghost Town

    This ramshackle ghost town is comprised of mining-era buildings collected from around the region.

  • Inside the Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca on the Dalai Lama’s 82nd birthday.

    Ithaca, New York

    Namgyal Monastery

    This peaceful gem in upstate New York was chosen as the future home of the 14th Dalai Lama's Library and Museum.

  • A place to sit and read in the oldest Jewish library in the world

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Biblioteca Ets Haim

    The world's oldest Jewish library was founded by Sephardic Jews in 17th century Amsterdam.

  • Welcome to Rough and Ready!

    Rough and Ready, California

    Rough and Ready

    The first U.S. town to secede from the Union, only to vote themselves right back in.

  • The most recognizable engine in the museum, Engine #5

    Nevada City, California

    Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

    "You don't need a rocket scientist to build a steam engine, but we've got one." -Museum docent on the credentials of a restoration volunteer.

  • Folsom, California

    Mormon Island

    This former boomtown "island" is now submerged below Folsom Lake.

  • table used for the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco in 1945

    Grass Valley, California

    Grass Valley Museum

    A rich history stashed behind an unassuming door in the heart of Gold Country.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.