CTH K, 0.35 mi. S of jct. with Limery Rd.
Historic Name: | Vertefeuille, Francois, House |
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Reference Number: | 93000142 |
Location (Address): | CTH K, 0.35 mi. S of jct. with Limery Rd. |
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County: | Crawford |
City/Village: | |
Township: | Prairie du Chien |
VERTEFEUILLE, FRANCOIS, HOUSE Highway K, Town of Prairie du Chien, Crawford Architects: unknown Date of construction: circa 1810 The Francois Vertefeuille House, constructed in the French-Canadian manner called piece sur piece en coulisse, is one of the few surviving examples of this type of architecture in the United States. This log construction technique was documented as the distinctive method in which the pioneer French-Canadian residents of Prairie du Chien constructed their homes. Consequently this property is a fine representation of the French-Canadian cultural heritage in the United States. The Francois Vertefeuille House was constructed by people and for people who were dependent on the fur trade for their existence. Therefore, it is a physical testimony to the powerful economic enticements to harvest otter, beaver and fox furs from the Great Lakes region and the upper Mississippi, a commercial enterprise that spurred French exploration in North America. Vertefeuille himself was from French-speaking Canada and moved to Prairie du Chien in 1809 to engage in the fur trade. Furthermore, the house is evidence of a second French culture, several generations removed from Canada, which flourished in the upper Mississippi Valley in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The original house, constructed between 1810 and 1820, was composed of a single room on the first floor and a second floor loft. With the addition, constructed between 1820 and 1825 after Francois Vertefeuille acquired the house, one room was added to each floor. Both sections are constructed with hewn timbers in the piece sur piece en coulisse style. Unlike traditional notched corner construction, the Vertifeuille House also makes use of hewn log posts, notched with a continuous vertical groove. Shorter horizontal logs, with tongue-like mortises on the ends, are fitted into this groove to make a strong joint. Once common to French Canadian settlements, surviving examples like the Vertefeuille House are exceptionally rare today. The Vertefeuille House is privately owned, please respect the privacy and rights of its owner. |
Period of Significance: | 1825-1849 |
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Period of Significance: | 1800-1824 |
Area of Significance: | Architecture |
Area of Significance: | Ethnic Heritage/European |
Area of Significance: | Exploration/Settlement |
Applicable Criteria: | Architecture/Engineering |
Applicable Criteria: | Event |
Historic Use: | Domestic: Single Dwelling |
Architectural Style: | Other |
Resource Type: | Building |
Architect: | Unknown |
Historic Status: | Listed in the National Register |
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Historic Status: | Listed in the State Register |
National Register Listing Date: | 03/18/1993 |
State Register Listing Date: | 01/22/1993 |
Number of Contributing Buildings: | 1 |
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Number of Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Objects: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Objects: | 0 |
National Register and State Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |