Our History 1890 to 1980
St. Joseph School began as St. Ursula's Academy in September of 1890 on the current site, north of 4th St. and between East Avenue and College Avenue in York. Forty-six children were enrolled in the school at that time. There were both elementary and high school students at the school, even though the high school wasn't accredited with the University of Nebraska until 1914.
In the beginning it was a boarding school with children from as far away as Montana to New York. There were also local boarders from small towns and farms in the York area. Day students from York also attended St. Ursula's.
A disastrous fire destroyed many of the campus buildings in 1936, taking with it all the student records. With meager insurance monies and contributions from alumni and townspeople, a new building was erected and dedicated in 1938.
In 1942, the Ursuline Sisters who had dedicated themselves to the school were required to leave York and the Benedictine Sisters of Yankton, South Dakota agreed to come. At this time the school aquired its name of St. Joseph Grade and High School.
St. Joseph's continued to flourish under the Benedictine Sisters' care with the addition of programs such as home economics, manual training, drama, music, and speech, as well as high school football in 1945.
In 1952 the last of the school's original buildings, the old "college" buiding, was taken down and while students attended classes in what was known as St. Angela's Hall (dedicated in 1909 and a survivor of the fire), a new structure was completed, containing classrooms and a combination auditorium/gymnasium with a stage and scoreboard and clock.
Cullen Hall, as it was dedicated, is still the home of many school programs and St. Joseph sporting events, though the scoreboard and clock are no longer the originals. The kitchen in Cullen Hall now boasts of being a concession stand and the home of the Friday night Fish Fry during Lent. The second floor classrooms added at that time have been remodeled and now house the music room and computer lab. One of the ground floor classrooms has become the Little Angels Pre-School, operated in conjunction with St. Joseph School.
St. Joseph High School sports teams were legendary. From 1959 - 1961 the combined record of the Fighting Irish football and basketball teams was 50 wins and 4 losses. St. Joseph's was a Little Six and Crossroads Conference powerhouse winning Conference championships often in football, basketball, and track. Many St. Joseph athletes earned All State honors.
The Men's Athletic Association was formed in 1956 to help fund athletics at the school and it continues to this day, hosting the annual Crossroads Conference volleyball and basketball tournaments at the York City Auditorium, with proceeds being used to benefit many St. Joseph programs.
As was happening all around the state, a decline in enrollment became too much to overcome and St. Joseph High School closed in 1966. During the 24 years of its existence, 261 students graduated from St. Joseph High.
St. Joseph Grade School opened in the fall of 1966 as a Grade 1 - 8 facility with 162 students, 6 sisters, and 2 lay teachers. However, as the York Public Schools included 8th grade in their high school, it was decided in 1968 to send the St. Joseph 8th graders to the high school as well.
St. Joseph Grade School graduated twenty-two 7th graders in 1973 and another twenty-two in 1974. Then in the fall of 1974 the 8th grade class returned to St. Joseph, giving 8 students the opportunity to graduate again in the spring of 1975. Kindergarten was added the following school year.
In 1980 a new elementary school was begun with the demolition of all but the 1952 addition.
(More to come as we continue the story of St. Joseph School!)
St. Joseph's School, York, Nebraska
and
Educational Service Unit #6, Milford, Nebraska
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