The St. Paul Center, historically known as the Governor Hill House, has been a treasured resource in Maine for spiritual retreats and programs in social justice and education. Designed by one of Maine's most renowned architects, John Calvin Stevens, this stately Colonial Revival mansion, was commissioned by Governor John Freemont Hill (1855-1912) and built between 1901 and 1902.
In 1977, the United States Department of the Interior placed the Governor Hill House on the National Register of Historic Places in the State of Maine. In 1948-1949 Katherine Merrill and her children, Mary D. Merrill and John L. Merrill, Jr., made over the Hill Mansion to the Oblate Fathers for a retreat house. In 1998, ownership and management of St. Paul Center were transferred to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. In October of 2002 Catholic Charities Maine acquired the facility from the Diocese. (Source: Center website)
