Louis Bolduc House

This raised house, one of Ste. Genevieve's oldest and a superb example of poteaux-sur-sole construction, has walls of hewn white oak timbers on a base of stones, set approximately six inches apart, and infilled with bousillage. The roof structure is a Norman truss with triangular braces pegged into place which pitches to encompass the wraparound gallery. The plan consists of a broad hall separating the house's two rooms: an all-purpose living area (salle) and a smaller bedroom, each with its own chimney, one at the end and one in the center. A steep staircase leads to the enclosed attic. The basement, with dirt floor, accommodated animals and storage. In c. 1850, the gallery's northwest corner was enclosed to accommodate a kitchen. Bolduc, a French Canadian, became wealthy from mining, trading, and agriculture; his descendants lived in the house until 1949. A restoration begun in 1956 by Ernest A. Connally, who later became associate director at the National Park Service, was criticized as historical re-creation, notably the addition of a freestanding stone kitchen in the rear yard and a stockade fence. The house is now operated by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. Directly across Main Street is the timber-framed Gemien Bauvais House (1811), also called the Linden House for the giant specimen that shades the property.