St. Joseph’s Academy Cemetery is located at 3106 W University Ave in Guthrie, OK (East of I-35 and South of Hwy 33). This is a secured location known as the Guthrie Job Corps Center which is a federal funded program for youth looking to learn a trade.
For families and members of the church visiting its suggested to plan their visit by phoning the center during normal hours at 405-282-9930 so they can expect you and inform their gate staff of your arrival plans, failure to do so might cause refusal to enter the complex. The cemetery is well maintained by the students enrolled at the facilities. Map

If you have family buried here and would like to have their information or additional information (Obituaries, Photos, Short Bio, Cemetery Photos) placed on our site please contact the Area Coordinator for details or visit our How To Submit page, both can be found on top of this page. We are dedicated and strive for our records to be complete and accurate. As with all Genealogy work there comes a possibility for spelling or data errors with the information that we have received. Please let us know if you have found any such error.

St. Joseph’s Academy was opened around 1897 and was the 1st and only Catholic school for girls and convent in the Oklahoma territory. Years prior, Benedictine Sisters arrived by train to the territory to prepare the school for its opening. 3 of the Benedictine sisters
who help start the school are interred at the cemetery. After statehood the school seen a need for not only basic education but to also prepare them in higher education. Around the years of 1917-1918 the school began to offer college degrees to its students and changed its format to a Catholic College for girls offering education to girls of all ages, still another first of its kind in the new state.

In 1949, the school opened its doors to male students as well and changed its name to the Benedictine Heights College. During this same era those who started the school decided to sell the school and grounds to the City of Guthrie at a cost of $150,000. The convent relocated to its current day location in Tulsa, Oklahoma where it has continued to grow. The original structure is no longer standing as it became victim to the time and weather.

The school at the Guthrie location closed its doors for good and in the 1960's became the Job Corps center. During the time that the Benedictine Sisters were still running the school/convent they had also operated the Historic Logan County Memorial Hospital known then as Benedictine Heights Hospital. It to closed after name changes and ownerships.
In 2019, the hospital had been renovated and opened its doors as a senior living center offering 1- and 2-bedroom apartments to those 65 and older. -MDF