We are thrilled to share the news that after many years of hard work and dedication to a shared passion of preserving the rich history of Ste. Genevieve, a bill to establish Ste. Genevieve as a National Historic Park has been signed into law. Not only is this exciting for the town of Ste. Genevieve, the state of Missouri and history enthusiasts throughout the world, but Chaumette also has a special connection to the new National Historic Park as well.

Owner of Chaumette Vineyards & Winery, Hank Johnson, has had a passion for the French colonial history of Southeastern Missouri that has spanned the last several decades. The town is the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi and has deep French roots. As a board member and treasurer of The Center for French Colonial Studies (an organization that works to explore the French presence in the Mississippi Valley) and a contractor who specializes in restoring historic homes, it was only a matter of time before he took on a project in Ste. Genevieve.

In 2013, Chaumette purchased the Bequette-Ribault House with a mission to restore the building to its former glory and tell the remarkable story of those who lived in the home. Built by Jean-Baptiste Bequette, Sr., in 1808, the two-room house is most noted architecturally by its original steeply pitched Norman truss roof and “poteaux-en-terre” construction, or “posts-in-the-earth,” a reference to its vertical logs built directly into the ground. Five such “poteaux-en-terre” structures remain in North America, and Ste. Genevieve is home to three such buildings. Johnson states, “I’ve admired this building from my very first visit to Ste. Genevieve nearly thirty years ago, and I’ve always thought it was the quintessential vertical-log building. It was a pleasure and an honor to restore it to its best face.”

The new National Historic Park will include Chaumette Inc.’s Bequette-Ribault House as one of the cornerstone structures within the park along with the Delassus-Kern House and the Beauvais-Amoureux House. Key players in getting the bill passed were Senator Roy Blunt and U.S. Representative Jason Smith. In a recent press release from the office of Roy Blunt, he stated, “The village of Ste. Genevieve captures an early and remarkable moment in the history of our state and nation. By establishing Ste. Genevieve as a National Historic Park, more visitors will be able to experience, firsthand, day-to-day life in French colonial America.”

What can we expect in the near future? Sandra Cabot, the Ste. Genevieve Director of Tourism, says that this is just the beginning. The city plans to form a task force in order to meet with the National Park Service and find out what needs to be done. Chaumette looks forward to working with the National Park Service to support the community of Ste. Genevieve as it embraces this honored designation.