30/10/2024
Haunted History alert! Right here in my hometown is the old Abby building! Free to take pics and explore. Beautiful building and beautiful architecture, we have our old haunted house attraction here every year because it is supposedly haunted! Here's a little little history on it if you're interested.
field house was constructed and in 1953 more expansion began when St. Joseph’s Hall, an administration & classroom building were added. In 1956 St. Mary’s Hall another classroom building was completed. A new residence hall, Hedley Hall, opened in 1963.
In the fall of 1967, 250 boys were enrolled at the Abbey School, this included 203 boarders and 47 day students. Students hailed from across the US, as well as several foreign countries, including Panama, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Kuwait, Ecuador, Taiwan and Japan. Local boys could attend school as “day scholars”. The Abbey accepted students and teachers of all faiths, creeds and races, although students were expected to attend some form religious services on Sundays. Days generally began at 7:30 am and ended with “lights out” between 10:30 or 11:00 pm. Students were required to take classes English, theology, math, science, foreign languages, computer science, social sciences and physical education. Students could take electives including photography, art, typing, geology and career counseling.
In 1972, tuition, room & board for the school was $2,200, which included everything except laundry and books. Enrollment was near capacity that year with about 250 students. The event center building, originally the student union/dining hall, was constructed in 1973. In 1985, because of declining enrollment, the Abbey announced it would close the doors of the school but would continue to function as a monastery.
The monastic program began a process of dissolution in 2002 and closed in 2005. The campus was sold to a private investment company in 2007. Today the the campus is over 180 acres and is used as an events complex with all types of events happening including weddings, meetings, banquets, retreats, reunions, car shows, expos, celebrations and the list goes on. The front 50 acres being occupied by the many buildings constructed over the years and the remaining acreage is farmed. Several of the buildings have been converted to office space and there is space currently available for lease.
