1874 - 2024
Our building was originally built in 1874 by prominent Fremont jeweler, Lewis Leppelman. The family lived here until the death of Mr. Leppelman in 1886. In 1893, Mr. Charles Green purchased the estate naming it Evergreen Hill, but after just a few short years Mrs. Green got sick and the family left the home for California to seek treatment, leaving the house to stand vacant for many years, drawing in vandals and thieves which resulted in the loss of the beautiful chandeliers. Upon the return of Mrs. Green to good health, the family came back to the property and began to open the house up to the sunshine, restoring the home to its former glory. In 1925, the Green family sold the property to the Sisters of Mercy and the building was turned into the Sisters of Mercy Novitiate. The Sisters officially established Our Lady of the Pines Retreat Center in 1962. 15 years ago, in 2008, the Sisters of Mercy renewed their commitment to Northwest Ohio and the retreat ministry by renovating the building with the capabilities we have today.
Join us in celebrating - and maintaining - our beloved historic building, now a fulltime Retreat Center, by sponsoring a date in 2024!
Here's How:
1. Click here and select the date you wish to sponsor:
2. Make a one-time donation of $150 in honor of our building's 150th birthday! 1 day = $150
We are a non-profit organization that only exists because of people like you who paid their generosity forward.
Approximately one-third of our operating expenses must be covered by donations each year. As we continue to offer a space for all seeking a deeper relationship with God, self, others, and all creation, we ask you to prayerfully consider a tax-deductible contribution to our beloved retreat center.