Past


OUR HISTORY
 

1918

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In 1918, Dom Leonard Sargent was searching for a property on which to build a Benedictine monastery. Upon discovering a beautiful 70-acre plot on the shores of Narragansett Bay, he followed an old superstition and dropped a medal of St. Benedict in the field. Thus began the vision that came to fruition as Portsmouth Abbey and School, continuing the 1,500-year tradition of Benedictine spiritual devotion and dedication to learning and enlightenment.

 

1926

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1956

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1980

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HISTORY TIMELINE

1918
Rev. Dom Henry Leonard Sargent, when searching for a property on which to build a monastery, discovered a 70-acre plot on the shores of Narragansett Bay and, following an old superstition, dropped a medal of St. Benedict in the field. On November 9, he purchased the property, including Manor House, from Amos Smith. Thus began the vision that came to fruition as Portsmouth Abbey and School.
1926
Portsmouth Priory School was founded by Fr. Hugh Diman, who also founded St. George’s School in nearby Newport, as well as Diman Vocational School in Fall River, Massachusetts. Assigned the task by his superior, the Abbot of Fort Augustus in Scotland, Father Hugh organized the opening of the school at Portsmouth Priory, and on September 20 welcomed as Headmaster the first class of 16 students when they arrived at Manor House.
1930
Mr. Basil Harris donated $110,000 for the construction of St. Benet’s House. On the heels of a 50-acre campus expansion for playing fields, fishing and pheasant hunting in 1929, the School contracted the architectural firm of Maginnis and Walsh Associates to make plans for a permanent monastery and school.
1936
Miss Ade Bethune of Newport became the first woman on faculty at Portsmouth Priory School, taking over the Art Department from Mr. John Benson.
1949
The Priory is granted independent status as a Conventual Priory with Dom Gregory Borgstedt appointed Superior. Also that year, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Thornton Wilder visited campus and delivered a lecture on “The Craft of Writing.”
1952
Pietro Belluschi, acclaimed architect, Bauhaus luminary and Dean of the School of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), visits campus and begins plans that will eventually result in 14 Belluschi-designed buildings, including the Church of St. Gregory the Great, considered the most important piece of conservative modernist architecture in the State of Rhode Island.
1957
After two years of prolonged litigation with Pan American Refining Corporation (PARC), a subsidiary of Standard Oil Company, the Priory emerges victorious in their objections to PARC’s purchase of acreage adjacent to the priory. This victory resulted in the Priory purchasing the 75-acres in question at Arnold Point to prevent further industrial development, further extending the campus footprint, as well as the School’s commitment to preserve the property’s open spaces.
1963
The estate of Renee Cortazzo of Newport is bequeathed to the Priory, providing funds for the construction of the Cortazzo Administration building and a student scholarship fund.
1966
Dr. Edward Teller, father of the hydrogen bomb, speaks at the dedication of the Auditorium and Science Building.
1969
The Monastery receives abbatial status. Dom Matthew Stark appointment first Abbot of Portsmouth Abbey. The School’s name changes from Portsmouth Priory School to Portsmouth Abbey School.
1972
A busy year of firsts. The first broadcast of FM Radio Station WJHD, the opening of the indoor hockey rink, the first meeting of the newly formed “Board of Consultants” and the first committee meetings held to consider coeducation.
1978
Senator Eugene McCarthy delivers the Elizabeth Seton Lecture. The Battle of Rhode Island is reenacted on the school grounds to commemorate its bicentennial.
1990
Coeducation begins with the introduction of day girls into summer school. An anonymous gift from an alumnus secures full funding for the construction of the St. Thomas More Library.
1998
350 acres (about half the area of Central Park in New York City) of Abbey farmland is leased for 99-years to an English entrepreneur, Peter De Savary, for the construction of a world-class golf course and club, which would eventually become the home to The Aquidneck Club.
2012
Matching 28,000-square-foot residence houses, St. Martin’s (boys residence) and St. Brigid’s (girls residence) open, extending campus further west toward Narragansett Bay and incorporating indigenous Rhode Island design elements unique to the campus’s built environment.
2019
Portsmouth Abbey School’s state-of-the-art 21st-century science building designed by Ellen Watts of Architerra in Boston, Massachusetts, opens for classes.
2024
A new 8,000 square-foot Student Center (and accompanying Tuck Shop) opens as a result of a generous donation from the Healey Family. Instantly a marquee feature of the campus architecture, the building’s beautiful copper screening is a respectful nod to the Belluschi-designed tradition seen prevalently across campus while also providing energy efficiency and ensuring responsible resource utilization. The building is a physical space reminding us to hold our past and traditions close as we move on with courage, confidence and vision.