Highland Heights Orphanage

In 1852, four Catholic Sisters of Mercy were sent to New Haven, Connecticut from Providence Rhode Island to teach at the newly expanded parochial school known as St. Mary's. The day they arrived at their temporary Mercy Convent on George Street, their attention was directed to two little girls in desperate need of a home. Through a spontaneous act of kindness, the girls were taken in to share the small residence in downtown New Haven. So began the inadvertent founding of the orphanage that would later be called Highland Heights.

By 1854, the number of young girls under the care of the four Sisters had grown to fifteen and a larger facility was necessary. A new St Mary's Convent was found and established in a building on Church Street. One section of the convent was reserved for the children and was called St. Mary's Orphan Asylum.

Within ten years, the number of residents at St. Mary's Orphan Asylum had once again outgrown the limited space available. In addition, it was determined the building on Church Street was more compatible to business purposes than to the activities of children; therefore, another location was sought. On April 6, 1864, Eli Whitney Jr., son of the great industrialist who invented the cotton gin, donated a gift of approximately twelve acres to the Catholic Church for the needs of their orphanage. At the time, there was a cottage on the property which would have to be enlarged to accommodate the increased occupancy. With the completion of the necessary modifications, on June 2, 1864, forty-four girls and the four Sisters of Mercy were transferred from the heart of downtown New Haven to an open stretch of countryside lying along Highland Street between Whitney Avenue and Prospect Street. Two years later, the number of girls had increased to ninety, and two orphaned boys were listed among the residents. Several adjoining buildings on the property were pressed into service but conditions were becoming less than favorable.

By 1873, it was recognized that another expansion would be necessary to accommodate the steadily increasing number of both girls and boys. In the meantime, the orphanage had been renamed St. Francis Orphan Asylum, after the Saint who was known for helping the poor, and boasted a corporate management comprised of church and community leaders. During a meeting of the corporation in February 1873, plans were approved for the construction of what would become the main brick building, which they thought would be sufficient to house three hundred residents. The building was ready for occupancy in November of 1876.

Ten years later there were more boys at the orphanage than girls and more nuns were assigned to the school. As a result, more room was required for classrooms, dormitories, dining halls, and administration offices. By the mid 1890s, the south wing for boys was under construction. When it was finally ready for occupancy in 1896, there were one-hundred and ninety-four boys and one-hundred girls in residence, and plans were put in place for a north wing for girls. By 1906, the north wing and added laundry area were completed. During construction, the dining areas were expanded and provisions were made for more spacious playrooms, a larger chapel and kitchen, an auditorium, Sister's Community Room and more living quarters for the nuns and the home's chaplain.