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Photograph of Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy
Photograph by Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Mount St. Mary's Academy and Convent

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 13 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1888.

From the record

“Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy, originally the Sacred Heart Convent and Holy Angels Orphanage and previously Mount St. Mary's Convent and Orphan Asylum, and also known as Mount Saint Mary's Academy and Convent, is the only extant original orphanage in California and commemorates the Sisters of Mercy, in Grass Valley, Nevada County, California.”

Wikipedia article Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 22 National Register listings published here for Nevada County · listed in 1974 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. Church and Chapel Sts., Grass Valley, 95945
  • When was it listed? May 1974
  • Category. building
  • Census division. Grass Valley
  • Architectural style. Georgian architecture
  • National Register reference number. 74000543 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Then and now

1888 to 1998

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 110 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering Mount St. Mary's Academy and Convent, surveyed 1998
Topographic sheet covering Mount St. Mary's Academy and Convent, surveyed 1888

Fires near this property

922 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 922 fires within 5 miles of Mount St. Mary's Academy and Convent between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,066 acres in total. 12 started naturally. 38 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined362
Debris and open burning219
Equipment and vehicle use166
Misuse of fire by a minor46
Smoking40
Arson/incendiarism38
Power generation/transmission/distribution26
Natural12
Recreation and ceremony10
Other causes3

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2019Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitSNMH CRISIS STABILIZATION
9 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionGOLDEN
9 September 2006Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCentral California DistrictTHORNICROFT
9 September 2000Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreCentral California DistrictADAMS
9 September 1996Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitCAREY
8 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCentral California DistrictUNNAMED FIRE 1886
8 September 1999Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitPOPPY
7 September 2020Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitHWY 20 / DORSEY DR

Every fire recorded in Nevada County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 960 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 960 workings within 5 miles of Mount St. Mary's Academy and Convent: 521 past producers, 324 occurrences, 81 unknowns, 18 producers. 18 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Chromium, Silver, Copper. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Berkeley ProspectCopper, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold, Antimony, Sulfur, ArsenicPast Producer1904
BrunswickGold, Zinc, Lead, Copper, SilverPast ProducerChalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite
Bullion ConGold, Lead, TungstenPast ProducerGalena, Gold, Pyrite, Scheelite
Canada HillGold, Silver, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Antimony, Arsenic, TinPast ProducerChalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Stibnite
Champion Con QtzGold, Silver, Copper, Lead, ZincPast ProducerUnderground
Crown Point Con. Qtz.Gold, Copper, Silver, LeadPast ProducerGalena, Gold, Pyrite
Empire StarGold, Lead, Arsenic, ZincUnknown
Grass Valley DistrictTungsten, GoldProducer1915
Green LodeGold, Lead, SilverPast ProducerUnknown
MountaineerGold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, CopperPast ProducerChalcopyrite, Gold, Pyrite

Every working recorded in Nevada County

Maps showing this location

13 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Grass Valley Public Library0.2 miles1992
Empire Mine1.5 miles1977
North Star House1.5 miles2011
Aaron A. Sargent House4.2 miles1980
Nevada Theatre4.2 miles1973
Nevada City Firehouse No. 24.2 miles1974

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 74000543 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Nevada CountyAll 22 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.