Convent Station, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
- Convent StationConvent Station (NJT station)Convent Station is a New Jersey Transit rail station on the Morristown Line. It is located on the grounds of the College of Saint Elizabeth in Convent Station, Morris Township....
is also a New Jersey TransitNew Jersey TransitThe New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
station on the Morristown LineMorristown LineThe Morristown Line is one of New Jersey Transit's commuter lines and is one of two branches that run along the Morris and Essex Lines. Out of 60 inbound and 58 outbound daily weekday trains, 28 inbound and 26 outbound trains use the Kearny Connection to Secaucus Junction and New York Penn...
.
Convent Station is an unincorporated area within Morris Township
Morris Township, New Jersey
Morris Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, USA. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 21,796. It is known as the "doughnut" around Morristown since it completely encapsulates it, and has at least five times the area...
, Morris County
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, east of Morristown
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
.
History
The community is named after, and contains, the railroad station established during the 1870s to serve the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) complex of the Academy of Saint Elizabeth, a Catholic schoolCatholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
The Diocese of Paterson is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, which includes three counties in northern New Jersey: Passaic, Morris, and Sussex. The city of Paterson, third-largest in the state of New Jersey, was chosen as the episcopal see, even though...
. The academy was the first secondary school for young women in the state, established in 1860, the same year that they established their motherhouse
Motherhouse
The term motherhouse is used by religious Orders and religious congregations to designate the principal house or community for that group. It can be either for the entire institute or for a region....
at Morristown.
The namesake complex contains the Academy of Saint Elizabeth, which was founded in 1860 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth are a Roman Catholic apostolic congregation of pontifical right, based in the Convent Station area of Morris Township, New Jersey. The stated purpose of the order is to show the love of Jesus Christ in serving those in need, especially the poor...
of New Jersey. The academy is a private college preparatory school for young women with an enrollment of two hundred and thirty students and it is the oldest secondary school for young women in New Jersey.
Five years later, in 1865, Morristown incorporated with a boundary that then excluded the convent's large land holdings. That boundary line officially separated the two in 1895 when Morristown was formally set off from the township.
The College of Saint Elizabeth
College of Saint Elizabeth
The College of Saint Elizabeth is a private Roman Catholic, four-year, liberal arts college for women. It is located in an unincorporated community called Convent Station, in Morris Township, New Jersey...
, which was founded on the campus in 1899, is the oldest college for women in New Jersey and one of the first Catholic colleges in the United States to award degrees to women. The Saint Elizabeth campus also includes the Villa of Saint Ann. At one time there also was a kindergarten and elementary school on the campus and, for many years, the complex was sustained by dairy products and produce from its own large farm.