Bolduc House Museum.

Making French Colonial American History Fun

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.

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 solles, 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 of 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

Open Daily (except for New Years Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day )

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

“Friends of the Bolduc House Museum” get in free

125 South Main Street  Sainte Genevieve, MO 63670

573-883-3105
Text Box: The Bolduc House Museum is owned and operated by The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Missouri, a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Photographs of our collection are by Bruce Pendleton unless otherwise noted. © 2010 by the Bolduc House Museum