Today we know it as St. Mary’s University, an outstanding educational institution whose graduates have gone on to become leaders and trailblazers in many fields of society. Today, St. Mary’s University is celebrating a 170th anniversary in San Antonio, but its beginnings go a bit further back than that.
Originally known as St. Mary’s Institute, it was in August of 1852 that Brothers of the Society of Mary ( known as Marianists ) at the request of Bishop Jean-Marie Odin, the first bishop of the Diocese of Galveston, arrived in San Antonio to establish a school for boys. Those Brothers from Bordeaux, France, were Nicholas Koenig, Jean-Baptiste Laignoux and Xavier Mauclerc. They were also joined by Brother Andrew Edel, another French Brother who had been living in Dayton, Ohio, and who had been appointed as the head of the school.
The French Brothers were told that they would be required to teach in English, French, German and Spanish. They were all fluent in French and German, and Brother Laignoux had an understanding of Spanish. The fifty day voyage from France was spent learning English, which they knew was absolutely necessary not only for teaching, but for discipline as well. According to their letters, learning English proved to be a difficult task amid the noise, the damp, the cold and the seasickness, which they endured on the journey.
The four Brothers originally met in New Orleans and then traveled together by stagecoach to San Antonio after stops in Galveston and Indianola. They were later joined by Timothy O’Neil, a layman from San Antonio. He was welcomed enthusiastically because of his command of English, and he set about teaching the others. Sadly, he passed away in January 1853, a few months after the school opened, leaving a great void in the ranks of the teaching staff.
Finding a suitable establishment for the school was a challenge, and the location of the original school was not ideal. It was housed in two upstairs rooms, over a blacksmith’s shop and livery stable, situated on the southwest corner of Military Plaza.
Photo: Military Plaza SW corner today….photo by the author
Photo: Working the Flame
In 1852, Military Plaza was a rowdy, bustling center of activity as a gathering place and market.
Photo: Pinterest
The Brothers were fearful that parents would be apprehensive to send their sons to a school in these surroundings. There was disappointment when the school opened with only twelve pupils. This low enrollment was attributed to the fact that Bishop Odin’s plan was to open the school only to Mexican students. It was quickly realized that this would not be a financially wise decision. The Brothers convinced the Bishop to open it to all students, and this ensured the school’s future.
The first few weeks gave the Brothers the opportunity to hone their classroom skills, and soon word spread about the reputation of the teaching. After one month, eighteen new students enrolled, and each following month saw an average of thirty additional students attend the school. It was tough going for the teachers in these cramped quarters, and they had to compete with not only unruly students, but the noise and smell of the blacksmith’s business below combined with all the activity outside in the plaza.
Since the school was growing in these cramped quarters, they chose Brother Edel to find another location for the school. With the assistance of others like banker John Twohig, a tract of land was found on the east bank of the San Antonio River on Water Street ( now known as College Street ) The cost of the lot was $1,400. Brother Edel set about raising funds for the purchase, but could only accumulate $600.00. Here, John Twohig stepped in and gave a loan to the school of $800.00 on easy terms to enable the school to begin. Construction commenced, and the school opened its doors at its new location on March 1st 1853….170 years ago today. The number of students increased, and it soon became affectionately known as “The French School” because of the nationality of the teachers.
Photo: Students of St. Mary’s Institute c 1853…Historical Marker Database
The changes of climate, and deficiencies in their diet took its toll on the Brothers’ overall health, and there was a constant change of personnel over the first few years. At the same time, the enrollment grew, boarders were added, and so resources were stretched. Despite these hardships, St Mary’s Institute became a popular educational facility in San Antonio, and among the school’s alumni were future Mayor Bryan Callaghan, Edward Steves, who went on to establish the successful Steves Lumber Company and build a magnificent home in the King William area; Henry Elmendorff, who also served as Mayor and ran his father’s successful mercantile business on Military Plaza; C.F. Kleine, who opened a successful watchmaker and jewelry business; and August Biesenbach, who became a well known brewer in town, and later City Clerk.
Brother Edel, who had both an interest and experience in horticulture, had planted fruit trees and vegetable gardens along the river next to the school, and they became known as the “French Gardens” However, the results were far from sufficient, and did not sustain the needs of the growing number of boarders and the staff, so another plan was hatched for this purpose.
With the arrival of more faculty, Brother Edel set about acquiring property where crops could be grown to supply the school. A ninety acre plot was conditionally purchased south of san Antonio, and it comprised Mission Concepcion. Here, a farm garden was established. The subsequent crops sustained the school’s dietary requirements. The animals on the farm included cattle and chickens. The boarders from the school would also spend vacations there as well.
Photo: Mission Concepcion…..Las Misones
In the late 1870’s the school had grown so much that a four-story “skyscraper” building was constructed next to the river to accommodate its needs.
Photo: The Historical Marker Database
Photo: Looking west towards St. Mary’s Institute and St.Mary’s Church. Taken from near where the Hyatt Regency Hotel sits today….woai.com
In 1891, seventy five acres of land were purchased for a new campus for boarders west of Woodlawn Lake. This campus was known as St. Louis College. By 1921, the school next to the river was closed, and education was conducted only at the new campus. The name was then changed to St. Mary’s College.
Photo: St Louis College c 1894…..San Antonio Express News
In 1932, Central Catholic High School opened on N. St. Mary’s Street, within a stone’s throw of those original downtown locations to continue the legacy of the four brothers providing quality Catholic education in San Antonio.
Photo: Historical Marker Database
Until 1966, the St. Mary’s University Law school occupied the building until it closed, and it was subsequently bought and converted to become La Posada Motor Hotel. At its symbolic opening in 1968, San Antonio Mayor Walter McAllister threw a ceremonial key from a balcony into the river below for good luck.
Photo: ebay.com
Today, 170 years later, the site of the school on the east bank of the Riverwalk houses the world-class Omni La Mansion Hotel.
Photo: Omni La Mansion Hotel….photo by the author
Photo: A lingering sign of days gone by….photo by the author
Photo: Entrance from the Riverwalk….photo by the author
Photo: Tripadvisor.com
Photo: Author
ADDITIONAL STORIES:
Recently, the restaurant at La Mansion Hotel underwent a renovation and name change. Now it recalls the first days of the school, and the eatery is called “Four Brothers”
photo by the author
In 1916, the football team of St. Louis College had a coach who was a young lieutenant stationed at nearby Fort Sam Houston. His name? Dwight D. Eisenhower….the future United States President !
Photo: A youthful Dwight David Eisenhower….San Antonio Express News
Photo: St Louis College football team c 1916
Sources:
tshaonline.org
marianist.com
ecommons.luc.edu
issuu.com
stmarytx.edu
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Memories of San Antonio 