Historical Timeline
Historical Timeline
1871
The sisters of St. Joseph arrived on Amelia Island to open a convent.
1877
Fernandina Beach was hit with a yellow fever epidemic. The sisters turned the convent into a temporary hospital in order to care for the sick. Two nuns died from the disease, and two others contracted it and recovered.
1881
The surviving sisters founded St. Joseph Academy and convent school.
1961
The Order of St. Joseph’s sold the school to St. Michael Catholic Church.
1971
St. Joseph Academy ended as an academic institution.
1977
The church began restoration for the newly named St. Michael Academy.
1999
St. Michael Academy was opened. Sister Elizabeth Dunn, with the help of Dominicans sisters Martha Rhode and Barbara Becker, acted as the school’s founding principal.
2005
The church added a new wing for the opening of the Middle School.
2009
The Sisters of Saint Joseph returned to help the school celebrate the 450th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of St. Augustine.
Present Day
St. Michael Academy is a thriving school dedicated to supplying top-quality education for the children of the greater Amelia Island area.