The earliest deaths in the community were buried here, including Saint Mother Theodore.

On October 13, 1857, Mother Mary Cecilia Bailly, general superior of the Congregation, purchased 30.39 acres (123,000 m2) just east of the Shell Chapel, but nothing was done to prepare the ground until 1860.

[1] The first grave in the new cemetery was filled on April 10, 1861, with the burial of Sister Seraphine Jennings.

A portion of Saint Mother Theodore's remains still rest in the cemetery, along with several thousand Sisters of Providence and several priests who have served the community.

These stones were installed with a Requiem Mass and ceremony on July 31, 1923.