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Pierre Martin/Boismenue House, Dupo, Illinois
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| Title | Pierre Martin/Boismenue House, Dupo, Illinois |
| Coverage / Year | c. 1790 to Present |
| Description | The vertical log construction of the Pierre Martin house was revealed when the exterior clapboard was removed. The vertical walnut timbers are anchored at top and bottom by wooden pegs, a technique called mortise and tendon, which requires great skill. The spaces between the logs, which were groved along their narrow edges, were filled with stone nogging, or "pierrotage." |
| Interpretation | Built around 1790, the Pierre Martin house is one of the oldest structures in Illinois. It was built by Pierre Martin in a little community called Prairie du Pont (Meadow by the Bridge), now North Dupo. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was saved from demolition by the Prairie du Pont Preservation Society and is now owned by the state. Locally, the house is known as the Nicolas Boismenue house after nineteenth century owners. It is a rare example of a middle-class house from the time of French settlements along the Mississippi River. Other French structures of the period are the Cahokia Courthouse (1737) and the Holy Family Church (1799) in Cahokia, and the Powder Magazine at Fort de Chartres (early 1700s), all of which have been substantially reconstructed. Over eighty percent of the original framing material of the Pierre Martin house remains. The house would have had front and rear galleries (porches). The site also poses rich possibilities for archaeological investigation. Preliminary investigations have revealed ceramics, kaolin pipes, gun parts, buttons, and trade beads, as well as indications of outbuildings that could include a barn, hen house, corn crib, oven, or even slave dwellings. |
| Lesson Plans / Themes | French in Illinois; Settling in the Midwest |
| Learning Standards | 16 History; |
| Author or Creator | Illinois Heritage Association |
| Source | 35mm slide |
| Subject / Keywords | Architecture; French Colonial Period; French Colonial District; Vertical log construction; Dupo, Illinois; Martin, Pierre; Cahokia, Illinois |
| Collection Publisher | Illinois Heritage Association
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| Further Information | For any further information related to this record, please contact the Collection Publisher. See http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/tdc for more information about this project. |
| Rights Management Statement | http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/tdc/conditions.htm |
| Resource Identifier | IHA00040 |
| CONTENTdm file name | 61.jpg |
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