Unable to cope with the shock and pain of the incident, Mrs. Squires died that very night. As a result, not long after the property was put up for sale.

Father Michael Morris was born of Irish decent, on July 12, 1852, in St. John's Newfoundland. Father Morris travelled for several years, and studied in European countries and the United States. These experiences helped Father Morris to prepare himself for his chosen vocation as a Roman Catholic priest. At twenty-three years of age, he was ordained. He spent much of his time helping the people of deprived and uneducated parishes in Placentia Bay, and turned them into thriving communities. His notable nature was recognized by the Bishop, and as a result, he was transferred to Topsail parish.

As well as helping the people of Topsail and the surrounding areas deal with the arrival and changes of the railway, Father Morris managed to pursuade Bishop Power to buy the land where the Squires Hotel and Tavern were once located, to build an orphanage. In September of 1885, the Villa Nova Orphanage opened to about 80 homeless and deprived boys. The name "Villa Nova" was chosen after a saint, Augustinea, Archbishop of Valcia, noted for "the extraordinary nature of his charity to the poor."

As well as the orphanage, a chapel and a vocational school were built on the premises. The school offered courses in repair, tailoring, where they made clothes for those boys in the orphanage, carpentry, navigation, farming, in which they owned a garden on Little Bell island, and printing. These courses helped to prepare the boys for work in an economy where the fishing industry was not always reliable. They also operated a green house, in which they grew flowers and sold them around their community, to raise funds for the operation of the orphanage.

Sir William Whiteway, who was Prime Minister of Newfoundland at the time, donated a team of oxen to the orphanage, to use in their garden on the island. After school work had been completed, the older boys were rowed to the island in small boats, by some of the fishertnen who lived in the area.

One hot day in June of 1889, some of the boys were working in the garden on Little Bell Island, when they drank some of the water from a nearby bog hole to satisfy their thirst. Not long after, some the boys developed what was first believed to be hay fever. But, it didn't take long before they realized the boys had developed typhoid. Fifty-six boys in all, were infected with the disease, while the 35 who had not contracted it, were moved to Father Morris's home, at Woodstock, a building which was purchased by the church for the priests in the area.

Two staff members, Mr. Carroll, the school teacher, and Morris's 19 year old sister, died after catching the fever, as well as three of the boys, Patrick Maher, Richard Byrne, and Matthew Kenny. In September, two other boys who were thought to have caught the fever, Richard Barr and John Barrett, also died. On August 1, 1889, Father Patrick Morris surrendered to his suffering, and died as a result of the dreaded typhoid, at the age of 37 years.

The bodies of the three boys, Patrick Maher, Richard Byrne, and Matthew Kenny, are still buried behind the plaza in a grave encircled by rocks. This structure is a heartfelt reminder of the "tragic courage and extraordinary vision underlying the history of Villa Nova".

In memory of those who died at Villa Nova, and a well-known hero, Father Patrick Morris, a large monument was erected in Bannerman Park, near the Colonial Building. A monument, in the form of a large bronze plaque on a stone pedestal, also stands in front of the Conception Bay South Town Hall.

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