Pierre
Menard (1766-1844), a successful French Canadian businessman and
fur trader, was presiding officer of the Illinois Territorial Legislature
and from 1818 to 1822 served as the first lieutenant governor.
The two-story ca. 1815 home is an unusually fine example of French
Creole-style architecture, built into gently sloping land at the
bottom of a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Among the notable
features are a steep double-hipped roof and a galerie, or porch,
that wraps the building’s front façade and gable ends.
The ground level contains a small museum and an audiovisual room.
The second, or principal, floor represents living spaces used by
the Menard family. The large central entry hall is flanked by a
parlor and master bedroom, with a dining room at its end. Two bedrooms,
a Menard's office, and a nursery also occupy the floor. Two
of these rooms may have been formed by enclosing part of the galerie.
All of the rooms contain antique furnishings, along with reproduction
wall and floor treatments that reflect the lifestyle of an affluent
businessman and gentleman farmer in early nineteenth-century Illinois.
Behind the home, accessed by a covered walkway, is a stone kitchen
with a “restored” brick baking oven. In 1970 the Home
was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated
a National Historic Landmark.
On
the grounds are a poteau sur solle (“post-on-sill”)
privy, a reconstructed brick smokehouse, and a reproduction stone
springhouse. The Home is located at the center of grounds landscaped
with large trees and flowerbeds. A small historic herb and vegetable
garden is located near the kitchen.
Visitors view living spaces on the principal floor. Staff offer
interpretation of the rooms, emphasizing Menard-related artifacts.
Staff members also interpret the outbuildings and herb gardens.
A ground-floor orientation video and exhibits provide information
on the Menard family and area history. Living quarters on the principal
floor are accessible to persons with disabilities, rooms on the
ground level are not.
The Pierre Menard Home hosts special events throughout the year.
Contact the site for details. Events are supported by the Friends
of the Menard Home.
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