The college was founded in 1846 by
Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, an Italian Catholic missionary. Dominican sisters were brought to the college in 1847. The college was sold in 1852. The Dominican center was relocated to
Benton, Wisconsin. The
Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters bought Sinsinawa after Mazzuchelli's death in 1864. They "moved the school and motherhouse back to the Mound. The academy expanded into a women's college, awarding its first degrees in 1901, although the women's college moved in 1922, and the girls' academy closed in 1970." ==Notable alumni==