"Jacques Jean Rene Guibourd House. Local name: Guibourd-Valle House. 1
North Fourth Street. c. 1807 (dendrochronology). Individually listed in
the National Register of Historic Places. Property type: French vertical log
house. The Guibourd House is a large example of vertical log construction on a
stone foundation (poleaux sur sole). One and one-half stories in height on an
elevated cellar, the L-shaped dwelling measures 51 feet 6 inches across the
front by 44 feet 4 inches deep with a rear wing that measures 14 feet 8 inches
by 25 feet 2 inches. The walls are constructed of hewn, white oak logs, mortised
into a sill, infilled with pierrotage, plastered on the inner surface and
sheathed with horizontal clapboards on the outer surface. The roof has a king
post truss system. The mortises designed to receive the lateral framing members
of the original hipped roof are still visible.66 Typical French colonial
galleries are present on the front and rear of the house. These galleries are
raised above street level and have roofs supported by wood box columns.
Two-story brick slave quarters are attached to the rear wall of the former
kitchen, forming an "L" with the main block and rear gallery of the house.
The principal entrances are just north of the center of both long sides and
open into a deep, narrow passageway. A three-light transom surmounts the east
entrance. Secondary entrances are placed at the south end of the long sides of
the house. One original casement window survives, believed to be the only one of
its age and type in Ste. Genevieve. Other windows have been replaced with double
hung sashes, generally twelve-over-twelve lights. Early solid-panel wood
shutters with iron hinges survive.
The floor system of puncheon log floor joists, The floor boards, and the
garret floor system of hewn and hand-planed joists with beaded ceiling boards
remain. A number of original exterior and interior six-panel doors survive
intact, complete with their original trim and hardware. These doors are similar
to those at the Nicholas Janis House (Greentree Tavern).
The original floor plan is unclear. Originally the building has a double
pitch hipped roof with galleries on all four sides. During the first half of the
nineteenth century, the end galleries were removed and the roof changed by
adding gable end walls. Chimneys with fireplaces were replaced with ones to
accommodate stoves. Doors and windows were relocated, and an addition made to
the rear. In the first half of the twentieth century, a second major remodeling
occurred. The rear porch was enlarged and converted to a sun room. Interior
renovations included installation of new partitions, stairs, and toilets.
The present floor plan consists of three large rooms and an interior passage.
A one-room addition adjoins the gallery at the northwest corner of the house. A
steep winding stairway extends up to the attic from the rear gallery. The attic
itself is open. The house was altered in the early nineteenth century to conform
to American tastes. The house was restored in the 1930s by the Valles. It was
documented in the 1980s by a HABS survey team under the direction of Dr. Osmund
Overby of the University of Missouri.
The property also includes a brick, two-story former barn located in
the southwest corner of the property. This barn, converted to a guest house,
measures approximately 20 feet by 30 feet in plan. Fenestration includes double
hung, and six light, casement windows. A brick chimney rises from its roof ridge.
According to the National Register nomination for the property, this bam is
believed to have been constructed 30 to 40 years after the main house.69 [C] UMC
architectural survey number: 1275.
Jacques Jean Rene Gibourd came to Ste. Genevieve from France by way of New
Orleans and Santo Domingo. He was the son of Christopher Ambroise Gibourd and
Renee Marguerite Gibault. On June 24, 1800, he married Ursula Barbeau. Jacques
Gibourd died in 1812 and his wife died in 1843. He acquired the lot on which the
house now sits in 1799 and probably built it when he and his wife sold their
former residence in 1806. In 1844, two children, Jules and Omer occupied the
house. Jules Felix Valle acquired the house in 1930. Under the terms of the will
of Anne Marie Valle, the Foundation for the Restoration of Ste. Genevieve
acquired the property after her death in 1973." ~
Historic District National Register Nomination Form
The house is open for tours:
April - October: 10 am - 5 pm daily
November - March: 12 pm - 4 pm daily
Admission: $4 for adults and $2 for students