The Arcadia Valley Academy has been towering over the Arcadia Valley for over 150 years. The original Academy was built in 1846 as a Methodist High School by Jerome C. Berryman. During the civil war it served as a Union hospital from 1861 through 1863. In 1877 the Ursuline nuns purchased the school and turned it into a girls school. The Academy operated as a school until 1970 which marked the last graduating class. The Academy served as a convent until the nuns were moved to St. Louis in 1985. Now under private ownership the Academy has become a living antique, currently on the historic register as a historic district. The architecture is some of the most beautiful in Missouri. The Chapel has some of the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world. The Gymnasium has a ceiling found only three other places in the world. The entire complex has over two hundred rooms.