Saint Mary had already boasted more than a century of achievement in higher education when it offered its facilities as an emergency hospital in the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion in 1917. One of Canada's oldest universities, Saint Mary's, traces its earliest beginnings to 1802 when the Reverend Edmund Burke, later Bishop Burke, initiated instruction for young men at the Glebe House the corner of Halifax's Spring Garden Road and Barrington Street.
The next 75 years saw several changes in location as the boys' school grew into a college and then into a university. However, Saint Mary has never wavered in its commitment to education and community service. Landmark dates in the first century include 1841, with degree-granting status conferred by the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 1868 when the Christian Brothers of Saint John the Baptiste de la Salle took over teaching duties and moved Saint Mary is to the Belle Aire Terrace off Agricola and 1876 when the Archdiocese took over from the Christian Brothers and moved the school to Barrington Street.
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