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Photo by
Sr. Jean Raspolich, mpf
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Our Motherhouse
 illa Walsh was originally called Tower Hill, and was the residence of Louis Charles Gillespie, a multimillionaire businessman from Richmond, Virginia. In 1878, he built a summer home for his nine children. Several years later he remodeled the house into a Gilded Age mansion, which became their permanent residence. He imported a variety of trees from Hamburg, Germany, two of which are not indigenous to North Jersey: the Laurel Oak and the Bur Oak. They are located on the southwest lawn area near the mansion and add majesty and splendor to Tower Hill.
 The beautiful divided staircase of carved oak, the differently designed borders for the parquet doors, and the woodwork of highly polished quartered oak and mahogany with much hand carving are among its extraordinary features. Each of the twelve hand-carved mantelpieces is embellished with tile from Holland in various colorful designs. Of Philadelphia pressed brick, with white marble trim and green-tiled roof, this house has a porte-cochere and extensive wide porches with steps leading to the lawn. The mansion is Southern Colonial with Corinthian columns that sapped a second porch commanding a breathtaking view described by some visitors as 'Little Switzerland.' It is located on a 750-foot elevation, the highest point within a 30-mile radius of New York City. In l894, the structure on the property that area residents have always referred to as Gillespie's Tower, was constructed. This huge stone tower is 26 square feet at the base with walls 42 inches thick. It is 70 feet high with a chimney 12 feet higher, and on the second floor there is an open fireplace of red Potsdam sandstone. It was erected over a 4l7-foot deep well; a steam engine on the mound floor pumped water into a tank on the fourth floor. The tower is six stories, and from its lookout on clear nights, a panoramic view of New York City and the Brooklyn Bridge is visible. Today the tower no longer supplies water; instead, one goes there to pray the Stations of the Cross. Of exceptional beauty and realism, these Stations were made in Germany and are a source of inspiration.
 For ten years the mansion remained unoccupied. Then in 1929, the Tower estate was erected by Bishop Thomas Joseph Walsh, and on February 16, 1930, the Religious Teachers Filippini transferred their motherhouse from Trenton to Morristown. The estate was originally called 'Villa Lucia' and renamed 'Villa Walsh' a decade later.
Villa Walsh is the center of many educational and spiritual activities, Here, too, is the Health-care Facility for Sisters who are ill and for those who have retired from active life after years of dedicated service as Religious Teachers. In 1935, the chapel dedicated to Saint Lucy Filippini was built. Its interior recalls Renaissance art. This artistic patrimony was the dream of Mother Ninetta and Archbishop Walsh, founders of the American foundation. It tells the story of the founders' lives and of the spirituality of the Religious Teachers Filippini. Through the beauty and realism of paintings by Professor Gonippo Raggi of world fame, and through the originality and gracefulness of its stained glass windows, this magnificent monument inspires a sense of mystery that uplifts the soul as it instructs and inspires visitors. Featured on the property are several religious shrines honoring the Sacred Heart, the Virgin Mary, and other saints. To the rear of the mansion is a small white building originally used from 1878 to 1919 as a stable for the Gillespie family horses.
Today, along the road in the rear of the mansion one finds the Rosary Shrine. Here the retired Sisters can pray as they walk from mystery to mystery of the Rosary. A small bridge connects the mansion to the Chapel and Freytag Hall (Health Care Facility). Another long, multi-windowed blue bridge connects all the buildings - Browne Hall and Villoresi Hall (Villa Walsh Academy) included- with Ninetta Hall, the largest building. Only four of the seven stories can be seen from the blue bridge. Here the Academy makes use of the library, music department, and auditorium. Much of the building is reserved for the Sisters' living quarters. The small building opposite the Tower is the Hospitality House. Along the road is the Sisters' 'Ave Maria' Cemetery. To the right, making a half-circle around the burial site, is the maintenance building where vehicles are serviced daily. Continuing on the same road, on a lower level, is the Villa Walsh Academy Sportsfield (tennis courts, track and soccer field). To the left, is the Center for Philip Mazzei Studies, which houses documents and historical memorabilia. This road also leads to the parking lots and to the auditorium of Ninetta Hall.
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