Methodist High School
For over 150 years, the Arcadia Valley Academy has stood as a prominent landmark overlooking the Acadia Valley. Founded in 1846 by Jerome C. Berryman as a Methodist High School, the original Academy served as a Union hospital during the Civil War from 1861 to 1863. In 1877, the Ursuline nuns acquired the institution and transformed it into a girls' school, which operated until the final graduating class in 1971. The Academy then functioned as a convent until 1985, when the nuns relocated to St. Louis. Presently under private ownership, the Academy stands as a well-preserved relic, listed on the historic register as a historic district. Its architecture ranks among Missouri's finest, boasting a chapel with some of the world's most stunning stained glass windows, a gymnasium featuring a distinctive German-designed roof truss system, and a vast complex encompassing over two hundred rooms, forty-seven bathrooms, and an auditorium seating up to 250 people for recitals, plays, and various performances.
A historical piece on the Academy appeared in the Prime Time circulation, published by Iron County Newspapers and distributed with the Mountain Echo. It detailed the following:
When Rev. Jerome Berryman arrived in the Arcadia Valley, his brother was already present, and together they resolved to establish an institution of higher education in what was then largely untamed wilderness. In 1847, with no Iron County or Arcadia Valley yet established, they founded Arcadia High School. Rev. Berryman gained renown as a Methodist circuit-riding preacher, drawing families to the area for their children to attend his school. By 1859, Berryman had moved on, and Asbury Farnham took over as principal, overseeing an enrollment of 109 boys and 66 girls. The Civil War forced the college to close, with Union forces occupying the area and converting the buildings into hospitals. In 1863, General Clinton Fisk demanded the school reopen, returning the property to Rev. Berryman. After his retirement to Caledonia, Missouri, several unsuccessful attempts were made to manage the school.
The Academy provided a high-quality education to its students, primarily local but also hailing from places like Pocahontas, Arkansas, and beyond. Tuition ranged from $10 to $16, with board, laundry, lodging, and fuel costing $80. In 1877, the Ursuline Order purchased the college for $30,000, thanks to Father Hennessy's advocacy and Mother Johanna's agreement to acquire the buildings and grounds. At the time, there were two structures: the original 16-room building, with only three habitable rooms, and an unfinished four-story brick building from 1870, also with just three usable rooms. Undeterred, the Sisters set to work, graduating their first class of 17 boarders and local girls in 1878, hosting an impressive program for over 259 guests.
The school flourished over the years. A 1902 photograph captures 50 girls gathered around an artificial lake on the grounds. The exquisite St. Joseph’s Chapel was constructed in 1907, followed by a new four-story wing in 1913. Though the 1870 building burned down in 1917, a three-story wing quickly replaced it, and another wing was added in 1922, connecting to the Chaplain’s residence. The final addition, a remarkable gymnasium, came in 1930. At its peak, the Academy boarded and educated over 100 girls from across the region and even foreign countries. The Sisters also managed parochial schools in nearby towns like Graniteville, Pilot Knob, and Arcadia—no small feat given the sparse settlement when they arrived in 1877. By 1913, their holdings had expanded enough to support a Missouri Pacific Demonstration farm.
The school enforced strict rules, requiring silence outside of recreation time, but its accreditation by the North Central Association ensured a top-tier education. The music department thrived, and the auditorium hosted concerts and plays. A well-stocked library and beautifully landscaped grounds, including a charming rock Springhouse by the big spring, enriched the setting. Many local girls attended until the school’s closure in 1971, when declining enrollment made operations unsustainable. Afterward, the Sisters ran a daycare center, continuing their educational legacy. One Sister even taught in the public school in later years.
Throughout its history, the campus welcomed retreats and summer guests. The 1977 centennial celebration, despite the school’s closure in 1971, drew alumnae and friends from far and wide, with furnishings and keepsakes sold off and some land repurposed for a Senior Citizen Complex. Older than most towns, churches, and homes in the Arcadia Valley, the campus remains a tangible testament to a rich, evolving past. This account draws from archives at the State Historic Society, Missouri Historical Society, the 1977 Mountain Echo 100th Anniversary edition, and various recovered papers and journals.