Pierre Menard Home
A BIG THANK YOU to Emily, Linda & Pat for their most gracious help
in gathering this information and pictures!

Now...

Then...

Sitting at the base of Garrison Hill Bluff, almost directly below Ft. Kaskaskia, this stately mansion has remained virtually unchanged since it was built in 1802 by Pierre Menard, the first Lt. Governor of Illinois. It is the only house still standing that was a part of the original village of Kaskaskia. One notable change was the front steps...I can remember them being two sided, enterable from the west and east, with resting platform about 2 steps from the porch floor.  The 'old' picture above verily shows them.

Another more dramatic change, was that of the Mississippi River. When built, the home was at the edge of Kaskaskia village, with the river to the SW. When the river changed its course, a good 5 mile separated it from the village.

The rooms in the home are all large, with high ceilings, and the kitchen being a separate building behind, connected by a large open porch with stone flooring. The kitchen was equipped with 'modern' conveniences of the time...a stone sink, large built in oven, a crane within the large fireplace.

The servants quarters was a stone and brick building called the slave house. The field slaves lived in small cabins at the foot of the bluff, and have decayed over the years, nothing visibly remaining.

Below is the stone 'cellar', located to the left in the picture above. Here was stored the perishable foodstuffs such as their meat, potatoes, turnips, carrots and the like. Picture on the right shows a small spring trickling through a built in water channel around the outer edges of the flooring, helping to keep it cool, as well as to be used for water in case of being laid siege by marauding Indians.
     
    
Above view is from the West, showing the Kitchen attachment to the house.  

The pictures below are of the interior of the home, w/some contributed by John LaBrier.

     

Pictured on the left is the foyer as you enter the home. To the Left of this picture is this well furnished Parlor, or Drawing room. Many of the furnishing throughout the home were previously owned by Menard, and have been graciously loaned/given by the Menard descendants. Other items are what 'might have been' in the household, and authentic to the times.  The large portrait over the fireplace, shown below, is of Pierre Menard.

Above, is an early piano, also in the parlor.

  

The dining room, with its elaborately dressed table settings.
Located at the end of the entry hall. The doorway you see on the right, leads out to the kitchen,
 just a few feet away, thus ensuring the food was delivered to the table "hot".
To the right of the above picture, is the maids room, ...note the brass "bathing tub".


     

On the LEFT is the master bedroom, located across the hall from the "sitting room", on the East
 side of the home.  On the right is the "boys room".

      
Above left, shows the "girls bedroom", complete with china head doll on bed.  Photo on right shows the fireplace just a few feet from the foot of the bed.

Many activities take place at the home throughout the year, and are all open to the public.
Twelfth Day of Christmas (1st. Sunday in Jan.)
Spring Open House (1st. Sunday in May)
Candlelight Tour at dusk (1st. Saturday in June)
Summer Musicale (Last Sunday in July)
Fall Open House (Last Weekend of Sept.)
Pierre Menard Birthdate Celebration (1st. Sunday in Oct.)
Christmas Season Open House (1st. Sunday in Dec.)
French Village Christmas Tour Stop (2nd. Sunday in Dec.)

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