French Colonial Missouri History.

bolduc house museum

Photographs by Bruce Pendleton, © 2009 The Bolduc House Museum. Left—the Norman Truss is exposed in the Bolduc House Attic showing how the cedar shake roof is supported. Center– A view of the vertical logs on the front porch gallerie. Between the vertical logs is bouzillage, a mixture of grass and mud. The wall is covered in white wash. Right– the Bolduc House bedroom.

Text Box: French-speaking Monsieur Louis Bolduc joined the other residents of the old town of Sainte Genevieve in the task of relocating the entire town inland about three miles away from its original location on the Mississippi River just west of Kaskaskia of the Illinois Country. This happened after the floods of 1785 inundated the village’s houses up to the rafters for the fifth time since 1780. Unable to salvage much of his original house due to the damage from the flood water, tree ring dating shows that Bolduc incorporated ceiling boards from his original house in the one that still stands.
Text Box: The Bolduc House
Text Box: A vertical log, poteaux sur soles, house with a cedar shake hipped roof supported by a hand-hewn Norman truss
Survived the 1811-1812 series of earthquakes along the New Madrid Fault
Owned by members of the Bolduc family from the late eighteenth century until 1948
Purchased, restored, furnished, and operated by The National Society of the Colonial Dames in America in the State of Missouri 
The restoration was supervised by Dr. Ernest A.  Connally who went on to write the National Historic Landmarks legislation for the United States government
Furnished with authentic eighteenth century French Colonial artifacts and furniture including some owned by Louis Bolduc, himself
The first National Historic Landmark in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri
Winner of the 2005 Preserve America Award
Text Box: Open Daily (except for Easter) beginning March 27, 2010

General Admission Costs: $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children

“Friends of the Bolduc House Museum” get in free