Susan (McNeill)
Spuhler, LHS
81, tells me this is the the Nun's
Residence behind Julie Country Day School on Lindel Ave.
Linda (Mahan)
Pinder, LHS
'56 adds: "Notre Dame Convent was set back from the
corner of Merriam and Lindell Avenues. Formerly the old
"Tapioca King" estate, and prior to that, the very grand
Grayling Hall (Harry Pierce Estate), it was torn down within
the past 8 years (1999). As part of the estate, the Pierce
stables were remodeled to form part of Julie Country Day
School. The convent closed, as so many did, with lack of
vocation, and financial difficulty trying to support the very
large building.
The property originally belonged to Joel
Crosby, who was a bodyguard to George Washington. It was his
house that was torn down to build Greyling Hall.
Here's what we have on the school...
Julie Country Day School opened in 1941, in one room of the
stables of Grayling Hall at 365 Lindell Avenue. There were 13
students then, in Kindergarten through grade nine, taught by
the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. They named the school for
their foundress—Saint Julie Billiart, who founded the order in
1804 to educate poor girls in the aftermath of the French
Revolution—the country location, and the fact that it did not
accept boarding students. In 1955 it saw a new addition and in
1991 a new Learning Center/Physical Education Complex.
For sixty-five years, the teachers at Julie
Country Day School strove to fulfill the mission "to instill a
belief in the Goodness of God, promote character development,
provide academic excellence, and inspire a desire for life
long learning. This mission is supported by an emphasis on
community building, joyful outreach to those in need, and
social responsibility rooted in Catholic values."
Julie Country Day School celebrated its
last day of school June 12, 2006.