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Visitors Guide to the
The historic La Maison de Guibourd is an example of the French Creole poteaux-sur-solle (post-on-sill) construction method which French settlers brought over their native Normandy in northern France. In this method upright hewn logs are seated on a horizontal log sill and the spaces between the logs are sealed with bouzillage, usually a mixture of clay and grass. This type of construction is different from the more familiar horizontal Anglo-American style. While this type of construction was the preferred method for the French in colonial Middle Mississippi River Valley and eastern Canada, remaining examples of it are quite rare with only about thirty buildings of this type left in North America. Although the home has been changed over the years by a succession of different owners, it still retains much of its original design. The home originally had 'galleries' (or wide porches) that completely surrounded the house to keep the interior cool in the summer, but only the front and rear remain today. A slave quarters and kitchen were added a few years after the house was originally built. Unlike most kitchens during the colonial time period that were separate buildings because of fire safety concerns, the kitchen at La Maison de Guibourd was built in a ‘semi-attached’ fashion, under one corner of the porch. La Maison de Guibourd has one of the only ‘original’ kitchen structures and slave quarters of this time period in Ste. Genevieve. The historic house includes beautifully landscaped gardens and accessible views of the unique Norman truss (king post) roof system on the second floor. The home was built by Jacques Guibord who arrived in Ste. Genevieve sometime in the late 1790s. Guibord was born in Anger, France and became a secretary to a wealthy plantation owner in Saint Domingue. During the slave rebellion in 1791 he was smuggled out of the country in a cargo barrel by his slave, Moros. Jacques and Moros made their way back to France. In France Jacques and Moros witnessed the Reign of Terror, a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution in 1793 that was marked by mass executions of "enemies of the revolution," and decided to emigrate to America. There is some evidence that Jacques and Moros were shipwrecked during that voyage and that resulted in the two losing all their belongings. It has been noted that when Jacques arrived in Ste. Genevieve he was penniless. In 1799, Jacques obtained a Spanish land grant for the entire block (2 arpents X 2 arpents, 1 arpent = 192 feet) on which La Maison de Guibourd currently stands. While the house was being built, Jacques opened a mercantile and sold goods to villagers from his residence just across the street from La Maison de Guibourd. Copies of his merchant’s ledger shows what he sold, to whom, how much the items cost and how the items were paid for. In June 1800 he married Ursula Barbeau and quickly became involved in the affairs of the town. He served as a judge on the territorial district court and was a Commissioner of Rates and Levies for the Ste. Genevieve District. Jacques was one of the original trustees of the Ste. Genevieve Louisiana Academy, the first institute of higher education west of the Mississippi River. When Jacques in 1812 his estate was divided among his sons with Omar and Jules getting the southern half that included the house and Eugene getting the northern half. In 1907, the the southern half of the property was sold to Clovis G. Boyer who in turn sold the house to Jules Felix and Anne Marie Vallé in 1935. When Anne Marie died in 1973 she left the house and property to the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve. Currently the interior is elegantly furnished with a collection of antiques from the 18th and 19th century that were collected by Anne Marie. The Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve is in the process of transforming the home back so that it reflects the time period of Jacques Guibord. The Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Inc., a non-profit organization, and tours are conducted year round by costumed docents. Group tours are welcome and a gift shop is located on the premises. Visiting the
La Maison de
Guibord
www.historicstegen.org - The official site of the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve which operates the La Maison de Guibourd
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