St. Pierre family log house, located on West Belle River Road. Elizabeth McInnis and members of Maidstone and Area Historical Society have launched a fundraising campaign to move, then restore the St. Pierre log house, August 22, 2016. McInnis is a descendant of Jephte and Rose St. Pierre and lived in the log house as a child.
A significant part of Lakeshore’s deep-rooted French history will soon be joining the Maidstone Museum.
Victoria Beaulieu, curator and president of the Maidstone Historic Society, said the St. Pierre Log House has been donated by its owner Elizabeth McInnis to the museum. The house, which is currently on West Belle River Road, is believed to have been built in the 1860s. It will be moved to the museum on Puce Road in the next couple years where it will be restored. Beaulieu expects the move and restoration to cost close to $200,000.
Elizabeth McInnis and members of Maidstone and Area Historical Society have launched a fundraising campaign to move, then restore the St. Pierre log house, August 22, 2016. McInnis was born a St. Pierre and lived in the log house as a child.
“The house really is in excellent shape,” Beaulieu said. “It has layers and layers of wallpaper on the walls — almost seven layers which will tell a bit about the history of the house as well.”
Owner of the house Elizabeth McInnis (St. Pierre) was born and raised in the house along with her 12 siblings. She purchased the house in 1995 and became the fifth generation of St. Pierre’s to own the house. The house has been sitting vacant since 2005.
“We are looking forward to having it moved and set up as a museum where it will be renovated and fixed up as it should be and honoured,” she said. “Where it is now it’s just sitting there and no one really gets to see it. It will be nice to be able to open it up and share it with the community.”
Elizabeth McInnis operates a spinning wheel at Maidstone and Area Historical Society. McInnis and members of Maidstone and Area Historical Society have launched a fundraising campaign to move, then restore the St. Pierre log house, August 22, 2016. McInnis is a direct descendant of Jephte St. Pierre and lived in the log house as a child. The log house is located on West Belle River Road.
An open house will be held at the museum’s Puce Road location on Sunday at 2 p.m where details about the move and restoration will be discussed.
“Not a lot of people are aware that part of Lakeshore is a provincially designated French community, and there’s really not a lot representing that,” she explains. “So this is a good opportunity for the Francophone community to really come together and build something.”
