 They also went to assist the people of Memphis as thousands fled the city in the wake of the epidemic; of the 50 Sisters who served as nurses, 30 died.The community continued to grow and by the late 1880s, it was necessary to build not only an extension to the convent but also the school.By this time, the Sisters had expanded their teaching to schools in other parts of the state, including Chattanooga, Clarksville, Memphis and Winchester.