HABS 1985 Survey of the Bolduc House

 "Louis Bolduc, born in St. Joachim Parish, Canada, in 1734, moved to Ste. Genevieve in the 1760s. He became the richest citizen in the settlement, with interests in planting, lead mining and salt production. Along with the Valles, the Bauvais and a few others, the Bolducs were one of the powerful ruling families of the town.

Bolduc first built a home in Old Town Ste. Genevieve, then moved up to the New Town when flooding made living in the Old Town unsustainable. The Louis Bolduc House, a poteaux-sur-sole construction on a stone foundation, is thought to date from the 1790s. The Bolduc family lived in it continuously until 1949, when it was donated to the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Missouri. The house was carefully restored in 1956-57. . ." from FRENCH AMERICA, by Ron Katz. 

When tourist arrive at Ste. Genevieve for the first time, a visit to the Bolduc House is often their first stop. Although there are many Colonial French houses in the town, none are marketed as much as the Bolduc. It has become an icon for brochures and travel guides.

The following survey and photos are taken from the Library of Congress website (Missouri: Library of Congress). This project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) team of the Rocky Mountain Regional Office, National Park Service, under the direction of Historical Architect Thomas G. Keohan. Documentation was carried out during the summer of 1985 at the HABS field office in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The early photos were taken ca. 1900-1920. The final photos (with the picket fence) were taken after restoration.

HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY
W. T. Trueblood, District Officer,
1520 Chemical Building, St. Louis, Missouri
Eugene L. Pleitsch, Deputy District Officer,
1592 Arcade Building, St. Louis,Missouri

PROJECT No, MO-1105

"Bolduc House: This house located in Ste.Genevieve, Missouri, was built in the year 1740 in the old village and was brought to its present location in 1785. The builder, Peter Bolduc, a very prominent merchant, was one of the early settlers, He came from Canada.

The house is well preserved and the massive oak joists are still solid and strong as the day they were built. Typical French architecture. The wide sweep of the roof extends its protection over a porch the full length of the house. The house is one and one-half story of log construction, overhanging roof forming porch around the house. Interesting stone chimneys."
Information: Harry Pefrequin,
Ste. Genevieve, MO.

LOUIS BOLDUC HOUSE
HABS No. MO-1105
HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY Addendum

Location: South Main Street, Ste. Genevieve, Ste. Genevieve, County, Missouri 63670
Present Owner: Colonial Dames of America
Present Use: Historic house museum

Significance: This is one of the largest, best known examples of vertical log construction in Ste. Genevieve, a National Historic Landmark Historic District. Restored in the 1950s to its original form, It preserves the character of Creole architecture. Some of the upright members are exposed and visible on the exterior, while the interior is furnished with French colonial furniture.

PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION

A. Physical History

1. Date of Erection: c. 1792. Louis Bolduc first owned property and lived in the original settlement of Ste. Genevieve, about a mile south of the present town on the river. Because of flooding and erosion of the site, the old town was abandoned beginning about 1785 for new house sites in the present town. It has been suggested that the house was first built in the old town and then disassembled and moved to the new. The building contract regarding the house Louis Bolduc built in 1770 survives but offers different dimensions than the house that now stands. Bolduc moved from the old town to the new town in 17 90 or so, when his house was about 20 years old. Because it had been exposed to repeated floods, it is unlikely his residence was worth salvaging. Bolduc probably built a new dwelling constructed of recently cut timbers. Dendrochronological analysis supports 1792 for the date of construction.

2. Original and subsequent owners: Louis Bolduc lived in this house until his death in 1815. It remained in the family and was occupied by Zoe Bolduc in the 1930s. The house was acquired in 1949 by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, as a gift from the Mathews Foundation to the Missouri Society of the Colonial Dames.

3. Original plans and construction: probably a two-room dwelling.

4. Alterations and additions: The house was divided into two dwelling units at an early date, with many added partitions, and a gable roof replaced the original hipped roof. This condition was recorded in the 1938 HABS drawings. The house was restored for the Colonial Dames, with support from the Mathews Foundation, under the direction of restoration architect Ernest Allen Connally, in 1956-57. The restored condition was recorded in the 1985 HABS drawings. The squared timbers in the ceiling of the south section appear to have been reworked sometime after they were initially harvested and shaped. Although they can not be accurately dated, they may be early enough to have been moved up from the old town.

B. Historical Context:

Ste. Genevieve was one of the most important French Colonial settlements in the mid-Mississippi valley, and the one that best preserves the architecture of the period. The house is located on the principal road in the early settlement, a road that ran south to the old village of Ste, Genevieve and Kaskaskia beyond that, and north to the new village of Ste. Genevieve. The Bolduc family, originally named Boisleduc, was a wealthy and influential family in the community who came from a French town bearing their early surname. Louis Bolduc, although illiterate, was an diversified entrepreneur who made his fortune in agriculture, lead mining, salt making, and commerce. His well- preserved house represents the lifestyle associated with an established and respected family of former European
peasant stock.

PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION


A. General Statement:
1. Architectural character: This is a large example of vertical log construction on a stone foundation, what the French called "poteaux sur sole." Its plan, general form, and detail are characteristic of Creole architecture. Because of its restored condition and museum status, it is of particular interest and importance.
2. Condition of fabric: good.

B. Description of Exterior:
1. Over-all dimensions: One story on an elevated cellar with a high attic, 74'-8 1/2" across the front by 48'-1 1/2" deep.

2. Foundations: Random cut stone.

3. Walls: Vertical, hewn, white oak logs, mortised into a sill, infilled with bouzillage, plastered on both interior and exterior sides.

4. Structural system, framing: Vertical log structure on a sill carrying a plate, hewn logs closely spaced, floor beams mortised into the sill and the plate. The roof exhibits the king-post trusses with longitudinal braces and mortise and tenon joinery.

5. Porches: A typical French colonial gallery on four sides of the house, interrupted by an independent, but attached kitchen at the northwest corner of the house. Porch posts of red cedar. Secondary rafters extend over the gallery giving the characteristic double pitch to the roof.

6. Chimneys: Two chimneys serving massive fireplaces in the two principal rooms, and one in the kitchenattached at the northwest corner, all of stone.

7. Openings: Principal entrances near the center of both long sides of the house open into a passage, or deep narrow room. There is only one entrance to the kitchen at the northwest corner of the house and is from the outside. There is no outside entrance to the cellar but stairs lead down from the passageway on the main level to it.

a. Doorways and doors: The 1938 drawings recorded an interesting batten door with original hardware which originally lead to the northwest room has been removed from the house and survives as the entrance to the Old House Antique Shop, Kimmswick, Missouri, and another batten door with brass knob and iron hinges which was found lying detached in the attic.

b. Windows and shutters: Double hung windows, which were shown in the 1938 drawings, were replaced with six light casement windows in the 1956-57 restoration. Early solid panel shutters were also found in the attic, surviving with iron hinges. They provided models for the restoration, when later louvered shutters were removed.

8. Roof:

a. Shape, covering: The 1938 drawings record adouble pitched gable roof,covered with corrugated iron, but with most of theoriginal trussed roof structure in place.There was clear evidence for the reconstruction of the original hipped roof inthe restoration of 1956-57. The restored roof is covered with wooden shakes.

b. Cornice, eaves: No eave projection, open plate at eave line of the porch.

C. Description of Interior:

1. Floor plans:

a. First floor: There are three rooms; a semi-central passage between two larger rooms, each end room with a chimney along the north wall. A kitchen with separate outside entrance and a fireplace is at the northwest corner of the house and appears original.

b. Cellar: Unfinished, dirt floor.

c. Attic: Simple open space, floored but otherwise unfinished. The attic floor is attwo different levels over the two rooms. At the south end, the floor is made ofcontinuous heavy timbers, averaging 7" thick, abutting each other side by side.

2. Stairways: A stairway leads up from the cellar to the main level through the interior passage and
an additional steep, open stairway leads up to the attic.

3. Flooring: 1 1/2" board flooring.

4. Wall and ceiling finish: Plaster walls exposed
wooden ceilings.

5. Openings:

a. Doorways and doors: Earliest surviving doorsare batten, used as models for the
restoration.

b. Windows: Two leaf casement windows, six light sash, batten shutters.

6. Decorative features and trim: Two mantels shown in the 1938 drawings, were preserved on fireplaces in the house. They both were in a Federal style which suggests that they were early additions to the house. They were removed in the restoration
of 1956-57.

7. Hardware: Many examples of early hardware survive on the Bolduc House: iron shutter and door hinges with forged nails, wrought iron latches and shutter dogs, brass door knobs and china door knobs.

8. Mechanical equipment: All modern mechanical
equipment was removed in the 1956-57 restoration.

D. Site:

1. General setting and orientation: The house faces east on Main Street and occupies a large lot bordered on the north by Market Street.

2. Historic landscape design: All trees but one are apple, the other is elm. A vegetable garden, herb garden, and small grape growing arbor are directly behind the Bolduc House at the rear of the property.

3. Outbuildings: A smoke house and well are at the rear of the houses. A sidewalk connects the Bolduc House to the Le Meilleur House, approximately 50' to the north and in the same lot. As part of the restoration, a palisade fence of cedar poles was erected around the lot.

PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

A. Early Views: Early photographs of the house, c. 1900-1920, are preserved in the Vincent J. Dunker
Collection, owned by Mrs. Elmer L. Donze, 15 South Fourth Street, Ste. Genevieve, copy negatives owned by the University of Missouri-Columbia Ste. Genevieve
Project.

B. Bibliography:
1. Primary and unpublished sources: Deed records in the Ste. Genevieve County Clerk's Office, County Courthouse. Other records in the Ste. Genevieve Archives (SGA), collected on microfilm, Western Manuscripts Collection, University of Missouri-Columbia.

2. Secondary and published sources:
Ekberg, Carl J., Colonial Ste. Genevieve, AnAdventure on the Mississippi Frontier (Gerald,
Missouri: The Patrice Press, 1985).

Franzwa, Gregory M., The Story of Old Ste. Genevieve (St. Louis: The Patrice Press, 1967).

Peterson, Charles E., "Early Ste. Genevieve and its Architecture," The Missouri Historical Review, XXXV:2 (January 1941), pp. 207-232.

PorterfieId, Neil H. "Ste. Genevieve, Missouri," in John Francis McDermott, editor, Frenchmen and French Ways in the Mississippi Valley (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1969), pp. 141-177.

Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration, Missouri, A Guide to the "Show Me"
State (Missouri State Highway Department, 1941).

PART IV. PROJECT INFORMATION
This project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) team of the Rocky Mountain Regional Office, National Park Service, under the direction of Historical Architect Thomas G. Keohan. Documentation was carried out during the summer of 1985 at the HABS field office in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, by project supervisor Osmund Overby (University of Missouri-Columbia), project architects James Q. Marsh (Hemet, California), William D. Cesaletti (Keaau, Hawaii), and Terance A. Gruenhagen (North Dakota State University), and project historian Claudia A.Barbero (University of Missouri-Columbia).
Prepared by: Osmund Overby, Professor of Art History and Toni M. Prawl, Research Assistant University of Missouri-Columbia
January 17, 1987

U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. 20013

It's FAT TUESDAY. . .

FAT TUESDAY. . .The French call it MARDI GRAS. . .and here I am, living in the French colonial town of Ste. Genevieve, the oldest permanent French settlement in Missouri. . .So, my natural curiosity wanted to dig deeper into it's history. . .I knew that Mardi Gras was one of the largest celebrations during the year in New Orleans. . .Although I have visited New Orleans many times, it's never been during Mardi Gras. . .The stories I've heard. . .

But, back to the history. . .

With a little research, I found that Fat Tuesday is the traditional name for the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) in the Western Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant churches. In the Protestant church I attended growing up, we were often told that Fat Tuesday was the last big party before Lent began on Ash Wednesday. . .and that Lent was a time we could observe or not, by giving up a favorite food. . .It was considered more Catholic in origin and we knew little about it. We had several Catholic friends, who did observe Lent, and I always admired their dedication.

However, in centuries past, the fast for Lent required Christians of every faith to abstain from all meat and food that came from animals, such as milk, cheese, butter, eggs and animal fats. These items had to be cleared entirely from the home. Nothing could remain of these foods, so on the day before Ash Wednesday, numerous meat dishes, rich breads and desserts became the last feast before the days of Lent, leading to Easter. Eat, drink, and make merry. For obvious reasons, the day became known as FAT TUESDAY. . .or MARDI GRAS for the French.

While not observed nationally throughout the United States, a number of traditionally ethnic French cities and regions in the country have notable celebrations. The festival season varies. Some traditions such as the one in New Orleans, Louisiana consider Mardi Gras to stretch the entire period from Twelfth Night to Ash Wednesday. This is the case in Soulard, an historic neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, also. Others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday as the Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras-associated social events begin in November, with mystic society balls on Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, followed by parades and balls in January and February, celebrating up to midnight before Ash Wednesday.

The festive "official" purple, green, and gold of the masks, banners, and decorations that adorn buildings are symbolic, derived from a theatrical costume made for a Shakespearean play, Richard III and worn in the 1872 parade in New Orleans. The clothing included a purple velvet cloak with green rhinestones and a golden sceptor and crown. Today these colors are still used--the purple symbolizing justice, the green for faith, and gold for power.

Alas, there are no such parades or official town-wide celebrations in Ste. Genevieve for Fat Tuesday. I have been told that years ago there were and it was a grand event. Smaller celebrations and parties exist now, including the Queen's Ball on the first weekend in February this year and many stores decorate their windows with a Mardi Gras theme and carry items to buy. I, for one, hope that there will be more celebrations in the future in which the general public and visitors can participate.

In the meantime, I'll have a little celebration of my own today. . .and maybe next year attend a Mardi Gras in Louisiana, where they sure know how to throw a party! I remember some of them well. . .(grin). . .

HAPPY MARDI GRAS, YA'LL

Interpreting the 18th Century With Clothing

I was born an Old Soul. . .It's a fact. . .Almost as soon as I started walking, I wanted to dress in long skirts and big hats. . .It's second nature for me. . .I could play the role of any historic figure I admired in books or on TV. . .but, at the same time, I had an innate sense of being able to become a person of the past easily. . .And, my favorite. . .and most comfortable fit. . .was in the 18th century colonial era. . .during the early days of our American history. . . .Now that we have become a part of French Colonial history here in Ste. Genevieve, I'm just as comfortable donning the clothes appropriate for the part of a Creole working woman. . .and walking down the streets of Ste. Genevieve to welcome guests to the French Colonial settlement.

Costuming is such an important part for telling the history of a place or time. . .Well-made and accessorized clothing resonates with the public. . .something I think many don't realize. . .When I open my door and walk out on Main Street, the clothing I wear has already spoken a story without me ever saying a word. . .It is rare that I don't have visitors wanting to stop and chat or take selfies with me within the first ten minutes of my journey. The public is hungry for the visual Colonial French interpreted with clothing. . .And if one plays the part in first person, all the better. . .We become a walking living museum when clothed correctly and playing the part of our ancestors.

Research is necessary in assembling a costume authentic to your chosen period of history. . .It's research that is on-going and never ends. . .18th century clothing did not remain the same for the entire one hundred years. . .There was the time of the hunters and trappers, and dealings with the Native Americans in trade. When Spain took over Louisiane in the 1760s, it is true that the Creoles continued to dominate everyday life. But, Spain also actively sought Americans (especially Kentucky settlers) and the Delaware and Shawnee (and others) to come to New Spain. . .which was the reason my Virginian/Kentucky families moved here in the second half of the 18th century. . .bringing their own style of English and pioneer clothing.

For my interpretation of the clothing here in Ste. Genevieve, I usually choose a short gown, pettticoat, and apron of the working woman. . .Sometimes, though, I do throw in an American pioneer influence. . .But, it's not only the pieces of costume that is important. . .Accessories are necessary if you want an authenic look and not one out of present-day catalog. . .Start with the basic three pieces and then layer. . .layer. . .layer. . .and don't match the layers! Here's a quick example. . .

On the left are your basic three pieces, plus a pocket and medicine bag. . .a very good start. . .but doesn't the one on the right tell a bigger story without saying a word? . . I layered a chemise, two petticoats, two aprons, a pocket (can't quite see it), a short gown and a scarf. A cap, straw hat, and 18th century sunglasses add to my story. . . The gun is optional. . .(grin). . .I think you can see the difference it makes. . .

This is only the start of a series of posts about Colonial fashion in the 18th century. . .For this post, I simply wanted to introduce to you the concept of how interpretive period clothing can add so much more to the history of our amazing colonial town. . .Til then. . .

If you would like to purchase clothing appropriate for a Colonial French working woman, 

shop at: SASSAFRAS CREEK ORIGINALS, 311 ST. MARY'S ROAD IN STE. GENEVIEVE

Easy Crawfish or Shrimp Etouffee a la Arceneaux

Out of all the New Orleans style recipes I've made over the years, not once had I tried my hand at Etouffee. . .For one thing, it's hard to get fresh shrimp in the middle of the country that hasn't been sprayed with nitrates for preservation. . .For another, the recipes make huge batches. . .We'd be eating Etouffee for months!!

Then I ran across this quick and easy recipe. . .ready to serve in 20 minutes because it is cooked in the microwave. . .Not an 18th-19th century dish. . .true. . .but I know that if my great great grandmother had had a microwave, she would have used it for sure. . .

CRAWFISH-OR SHRIMP-ETOUFFEE

A LA ARCENEAUX

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced, 

or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 tablespoons flour

2 heaping tablespoons undiluted cream of celery soup

1 10-oz can Ro-tel, pureed with liquid

1 cup beer

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb peeled crayfish or shrimp

Micromelt butter in a 3-Qt glass dish on High 1 minute.

Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic.

Saute on High 6 minutes or until tender.

Add flour and celery soup. 

Stir in pureed Ro-tel, beer, salt, and pepper.

Microwave on High 6 minutes.

Add crawfish or shrimp. Cover. 

Microwave on High 4 minutes.

Serve Etouffee over rice.

Makes four servings.*

Told you it was simple. . .One day I'll make a big pot with the original recipe, but until then, we'll enjoy this convenience of the 21st century. . .served in our new Etouffee bowls. . .

 

 .LIFE IS GOOD

*Recipe from: Best of the Best From Louisiana Cookbook

by Gwen McKee and Barbara Moseley

George Washington Slept Here

George Washington slept in Ste. Genevieve?

Sort of. . .His "likenesses" slept--sleep--here. . .I bring it up because there is a connection to my Ruddle family, who ended up in eastern Missouri, when it was Spanish territory but dominated by the Colonial French and Creoles.  The Ruddle/Ruddell family knew Washington, living across the river from George's grandfather in the Shenandoah and Watauga Valley. My ancestral grandfather, George Ruddell,  served under Washington in the French and Indian Wars, as well as the Revolutionary War. . .Wrong side in the French and Indian Wars? If you're Colonial French? . . .But, it all worked out in the end. . .After all, the French joined the young Americans in their quest for freedom from England. . .After the war, in the 1790s, the Ruddells, Birds and Bryans (my relatives) saw the potential in Spanish Territory, moving their families here, obtaining land grants after swearing their allegiance to the King of Spain. My Missouri Ruddles lived under four flags during their lifetime. . .British, American, Spanish, and French. . .and then American again.

But. . .back to Washington. . .Whether he actually chopped down a cherry tree or not. . .he's always had my admiration. . .long before I knew his association with my ancestors. . .What a surprise when Kandye at Sassafras Creek Originals gifted me with a handmade band box with George's likeness on it for my birthday! . .I have long admired her band boxes, the Washington one my favorite. . .seen here alongside one of her Washington journals. . .They look great together!

The likenesses of George Washington are now sleeping at Heil House.

That's not the end of the story, though. . .for Washington DID sleep HERE. . .at the home of my ancestral cousin, Elizabeth Taliaferro, who was married to George Wythe of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Wythe House, Headquarters of George Washington, Sept 1781

Wythe House, Colonial Williamsburg, VA

The Wythe home (located just a few hundred yards away from the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg) was pivotal in the years leading up to the Declaration of Independence, a document George Wythe was the first to sign.

Key historical figures often stayed at the house as Wythe's guest. Wythe also tutored Thomas Jefferson here and was the professor of law at the College of William and Mary. In September 1781, George Washington used the house as field headquarters for a few weeks. John and I visited there a few years ago during a reenactment of that time in our nation's history. What I would give to have been able to sleep there just as Washington did! As is turned out, we WERE given pretty much free reign, since we once worked at Colonial Williamsburg and attendance was slow that day. Being in costume ourselves, we fit right in.

Dining at the Wythe House

As I research my families in Virginia, I am finding more and more that their descendants often have a connection to eastern Missouri, whether before the Louisiana Purchase or not. . .And I am amazed at the amount of history they made along the way. . .In fact, I started this whole love affair with Ste. Genevieve a couple of years ago, arriving with the goal of seeing what kind of lifestyle my American ancestors found in Colonial France/Spain. . .I'll be sharing more about that in the future. . .

In the meantime. . .Washington's likeness will continue to sleep here. . .as a reminder of my ancestors who fought for independence. . .but also came together to help build a nation right here on Missouri ground.

I plan never to forget my roots. . .

White Dinnerware at Home with Ironstone and Creamware

It seems whether I'm at The Country Farm Home or Heil House in Ste. Genevieve, I end up loving white dinnerware and serving pieces the most. . .with some blue and white for contrast at times. . .

Just look how beautifully my recent purchase at the 1819 Bossier-Shaw Gift Shop fits in with the white ironstone tureens. . .

 the English creamware melon. . .

and the Blue Onion plates.

This cupboard has been filled with so many different items since we bought Heil House. . .redware. . .vintage crocks. . .pottery. . .whiskey jugs. . .blue and white only. . .pewter. . .

but. . .while I like all those collectables. . .what thrills my heart is "White". . .

always at home with Country, Farmhouse, or Colonial decor.

I have had some people question my choice for this 18th-19th setting. ..

"Did they use white dinnerware back then?"

"YES". . .is my answer. . .pointing to the English creamware, which. . .

by-the-way. . .this fine china was poured in a mold that are exact copies of the 18th century molds. . .

But. . .even if it wasn't appropriate for the 18th century. . .and I only had the more modern pieces such as my recent Jambalaya, Etouffee, and Gumbo dinnerware purchase. . .I would still love the light, bright, crisp, clean of white. . .

Just LOVE IT!!!

I think it's a WINNER!