St. Ann's Hall

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St. Ann's Hall was a private boarding school for girls in Flushing, Queens, New York. It was established in 1837 and was led by John Frederick Schroeder. The school followed Episcopal traditions and emphasized Christian values.

The building was the old Flushing Institute, a three-story Greek Revival house built in 1828. After William Augustus Muhlenberg moved his institute to College Point, the Flushing building became St. Ann's Hall when Schroeder leased it for seven years at $940 a year. The school stood on six acres about seven miles from New York City.

St. Ann's Hall was one of several Episcopal schools in Flushing, along with St. Paul’s College and St. Thomas’ Hall. The school’s layout included three departments: Intellectual (English, French, and classical studies) with resident governesses and New York lecturers; Physical (calisthenics, gardens for botany and horticulture, a 900‑foot hippodrome for horse riding, and archery) supervised by a governess; and Religious (daily chapel services led by a Presbyterian rector) focused on spiritual growth.

Students lived in furnished dormitory suites of two or three bedrooms, with carpeted classrooms and help from a matron. Meals were shared with staff, and curatresses supervised groups of six pupils to support studies and companionship. The academic year had two terms: spring began in mid‑March and lasted 21 weeks, followed by an August vacation; summer vacations ended the day before the first Tuesday in October. Pupils were asked to bring or arrange for basic items like a Bible, prayer book, bedding, towels, napkins, and utensils.

In 1840, Schroeder oversaw the publication of eight volumes of the Circular of St. Ann's Hall. The remaining lease was later transferred to Ezra Fairchild, who moved to Flushing in 1845 after running a New Jersey boys’ school since 1816. After the property was purchased, the institution returned to the name Flushing Institute. Schroeder left St. Ann's Hall in 1846 to become rector of the Church of the Crucifixion in New York City, and the school then operated in New York City for a time. In 1852 Schroeder moved to Brooklyn to serve as rector of St. Thomas Church, and during this period St. Ann's Hall functioned in Brooklyn under his management.