July 22, 2007

The St. Scholastica Monastery located in Fort Smith (Sebastian County) was founded by four Benedictine sisters in 1879 who were enticed to journey from Indiana by the local railroad line, which offered the sisters 100 acres of land and $2,500 cash payment to establish a church and a rural school. The railroad management hoped their presence would encourage settlement to the area. Growing from humble beginnings, the monastery moved to a new complex in 1925, which included the building shown here.