Jacques Guibourd Historic House facts for kids
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Jacques Dubreuil Guibourd House
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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Front and side of the house
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 Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | Northwestern corner of 4th and Merchant Sts., Ste. Genevieve, Missouri |
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| Built | 1800 |
| Architectural style | French Colonial |
| Part of | Ste. Genevieve Historic District (ID66000892) |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000307 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 21, 1969 |
| Designated NHLDCP | October 9, 1960 |
The Guibourd House, also known as La Maison de Guibourd, is a historic home built around 1806. It was the home of Jacques Jean Rene Guibourd and his family. This house is a great example of French Colonial architecture, especially a style called poteaux-sur-solle. This means it was built with vertical wooden posts set on a sill or foundation. The gaps between the posts were filled with bouzillage, a mix of clay and grass.
The design of the Guibourd House is similar to other old French homes. You can find similar buildings in the Illinois Country, eastern Canada, and the Louisiana territory. Over the years, the house has changed only a little to fit the needs of its different owners. But it still looks much like it did in the early 1800s.
The house originally had wide porches, called 'galleries', all around it. These porches helped keep the inside cool in summer. They also protected the house from snow in winter.
Contents
Kitchen and Slave Quarters
A few years after the main house was built, a kitchen and slave quarters were added. The kitchen building was made of brick. It was separate from the main house. This was done to keep the main house cooler in summer. It also kept cooking smoke from lingering on furniture. The French also thought the smell of cooking was unpleasant inside the home.
The Guibourd kitchen was built partly under one corner of the porch. This was helpful for the family and enslaved people. It made it easier to serve hot, dry meals on time. The Guibourd House has one of the few original kitchen structures and slave quarters from this time in Ste. Genevieve.
House Features and Changes Over Time
The wooden parts inside Creole houses, like the Guibourd House, were similar to American homes of the same time. Glass windows were used early on. The Guibourd House still has two pairs of special windows called casement windows. These are like windows found in Canada and Louisiana.
Hardware and nails for these homes were brought in from other places. The inside walls were often plastered and painted white. In fancier homes, they might have had paintings or decorated panels. But the ceilings were often left open to show the carefully shaped wooden beams.
The Guibourd House is a special building within the Ste. Genevieve Historic District. This district is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Today, the house is a historic house museum. It is managed by the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Inc.
Jacques Jean-René Guibourd de Luzinais: A Life Story
Jacques Jean-René Guibourd was an important person in Ste. Genevieve. Here are some facts about his life:
- Born: July 29, 1755
- Where: Candé, France
- Father: Christopher Ambroise Guibourd
- Mother: Renée Maguerite Gibault
- Spouse: Ursule (Ursula) Barbeau (who was the sister-in-law of Jean-Baptiste Valle)
- Married: June 24, 1800
- Children:
- Eugene Jacques Pierre Guibourd (born May 3, 1801 – died June 16, 1879)
- Infant Guibourd (died November 21, 1803)
- Jean Edward [Eduart] Guibourd (died January 9, 1805)
- Omer François Guibourd (born October 23, 1807 - died October 12, 1874 in La-Corbiere, France)
- Jules Joseph Marie Guibourd (born November 9, 1811 - died unknown in France)
- Died: May 29, 1812
- Where: Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
- Buried: Ste. Genevieve Memorial Cemetery
Journey to Ste. Genevieve
Jacques Guibourd came to Ste. Genevieve from France. He had first gone to Saint Domingue (now Haiti), where he worked as a secretary for a rich plantation owner. During a slave rebellion there, his enslaved person, Moros, helped him escape. Jacques was smuggled out of the country in a cargo barrel.
He and Moros then went back to France. But they found a lot of chaos and destruction there. This was due to the Reign of Terror (1793–94), which happened after the French Revolution of 1789. So, they decided to leave France. They heard about French-speaking settlers in America. Jacques and Moros then sailed to America.
There is some evidence that their ship was wrecked during the trip. They lost all their belongings. When Jacques arrived in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri in the late 1790s, he had no money.
Settling in Ste. Genevieve
Records show that Ursula's father, Jean-Baptiste Barbeau, took in Jacques (and likely Moros). This helped Jacques get settled. It was how he met his future wife, Ursula. He also met Jean-Baptiste Valle, who was the Commandant of Ste. Genevieve at that time. Ste. Genevieve was then part of the Illinois Territory, in Upper Louisiana.
In 1799, Jacques received a Spanish land grant. This gave him the entire city block where his house now stands. While the house was being built, Jacques opened a store. He sold goods to villagers from his home across the street. His old merchant's ledger (a record book) shows what he sold, to whom, how much it cost, and how people paid.
In June 1800, Jacques married Ursula Barbeau. He quickly became involved in the town's activities. He served as a judge on the local court. He was also a Commissioner of Rates and Levies for the Ste. Genevieve District. In 1808, he was one of the first trustees of the Ste. Genevieve Louisiana Academy. This was the first school for higher education west of the Mississippi River.
Besides being a merchant, Jacques owned a tannery. This was a place where animal hides were turned into leather. It was located a few miles south of town. He also owned a lead mine west of town, in what is now Washington County, MO.
Jacques' son, Eugene, married Marie Therese St. Gemme Beauvais. They had 12 children. Most of them were born in Old Mines, Washington County, MO.
Jacques died on May 29, 1812. After Ursula died on October 20, 1843, the southern half of the property and the house went to their sons Jules and Omer. The northern half went to their son, Eugene. Eugene had moved back to Ste. Genevieve in 1839.
Later Ownership
When he was 11, Eugene's son, Felix, traveled to Angers, France, with his uncles Jules and Omer Guibourd. There, Felix studied science and art. He also went to medical school in Paris. Felix returned to Ste. Genevieve in 1865. He worked as a doctor until he died in 1885.
In 1859, Jules and Omer sold their part of the property to Eugene. It then became the property of his son, Felix. In 1907, the property was sold to Clovis G. Boyer. He then sold the house to Jules Felix and Anne Marie Vallé. In January 1973, Anne Marie's will left the house to the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve.
See also
- Louisiana (New France)
- Louisiana Purchase
- Illinois Country
- Ohio Country
- New France
- New Spain
- French in the United States
- Timeline of New France history
- Three Flags Day
- A few acres of snow
- French colonization of the Americas
- French colonial empire
- List of North American cities founded in chronological order
- Sainte Geneviève
- List of commandants of the Illinois Country
- Historic regions of the United States
