Contributed by Acadian Archives
Description
With an influx of French-heritage settlers in the late nineteenth century, Eagle Lake became the site of a Catholic mission. A church was built in 1907 and a hospital soon followed. The arrival of the railway in 1902 and the construction of many mills spurred an economic boom. However, many families continued to rely on agriculture.
The Little Franciscans of Mary operated a boarding and nursing facility from the beginning of the twentieth century. According to James C. Ouellette, the St. Mary’s Convent School opened in 1916 (another source gives a date of 1918 instead). Kindergarten through fourth grade were taught in that building until 1964. A local resident states that the site of the school is now the Veterans Memorial Park on Aroostook Road. The building would thus have been separate from the nursing facility; it would have stood at the corner of Convent Street.
Little is known of the demolition of sections of the Eagle Lake convent, though other photographs in this collection show that much of the structure was brought down in 1975. Photographs of the school building appear in a local history, Looking to the Future: St. Mary’s Parish – Eagle Lake, Maine (1972).
About This Item
- Title: Eagle Lake convent, Eagle Lake, 1975
- Creator: Rachel Martin
- Creation Date: 1975
- Subject Date: 1975
- Location: Eagle Lake, Aroostook County, ME
- Media: Photographic print
- Dimensions: 8.8 cm x 8.7 cm
- Local Code: MCC-00360
- Collection: Rachel Martin Collection of Saint John Valley School and Convent Photographs, 1957-1982
- Object Type: Image
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For more information about this item, contact:
Acadian ArchivesUMFK, 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, ME 04743
(207) 834-7535
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This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.
More to Consider
Item 31624
Lumber Mill, Eagle Lake, ca. 1915
Item 148641
View of Eagle Lake, ca. 1948
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