Holy Cross School enjoys the distinction of being the second oldest sustained foundation world wide in the Congregation of Holy Cross. The first brothers were sent by Father Basil Moreau in 1849 to assume responsibility for St Mary's Orphanage. First chartered by the State of Louisiana in 1890, the name was changed to Holy Cross in 1895 when the present Administration Building was dedicated. A boarding program which continued until 1973 attracted as many as 150 students annually from across the South as well as from Central and South America. With the exception of the Administration Building, the present physical facilities date from the 1950s through the early 60s when the last of the old plantation buildings were torn down. A gazebo, formerly a turn-of-the-century trolley stop, is a quaint remnant from the past which serves as a focal point of the campus.