St. Ursula's Academy, 1922. St. Ursula's, the oldest continuously operating Catholic girls' high school in New York State, was founded in 1855. German Ursuline nuns from St. Louis, at the invitation of a local reverend and the support of the Archbishop, moved to the Melrose area of the Bronx and founded a monastery. Upon its completion, the monastery began to offer classes and quickly attracted pupils from the local German community. The Monastery and Academy were incorporated together by the State in 1868 as the Ursuline Convent. However, the 1874 incorporation of the Bronx into New York City caused the relatively undeveloped land around St. Urusla's to quickly industrialize. This prompted the move to Bedford Park Boulevard in 1892 in order to secure less hectic surroundings for the convent. Its new hilly locale prompted the name to be changed to the Academy of Mount St. Ursula. Though the monastery has since dissolved, the Academy of Mount St. Ursula remains active.