On 4 August 1701, the French concluded an agreement with the Indigenous people called “the Great Peace of Montreal”. This agreement between the Indigenous communities and Louis-Hector de Callière ended war for the Indigenous people. For their part, the French were responsible to settle conflicts between the different Indigenous communities.
In 1739, when Jean Hurtubise had the idea of having a house built—the famous house in which six generations of Hurtubise would be born—he called upon a mason by the name of Jean Bertrand. Together, the two men drew up a contract in which appears an unusual and different architectural element whose precise use we still do not get.
Today, hidden by the gallery at the front of the house, two holes still exist in the masonry of the basement, and it is even possible to see them from inside the house by visiting the highest level. The small size of these openings has puzzled many and has given rise to all sorts of speculations that have even created a small legend. Indeed, many believed that these two holes had the function of loopholes to allow the inhabitants to defend themselves although “the Great Peace of Montreal” was signed in 1701! In fact, the small number of these openings and their size seem to indicate instead that the real function of this architectural element was to allow ventilation of the basement space (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.44).
An interesting artefact is located along the Grand chemin de la Haute-Folie (now the chemin Côte Saint-Antoine): a milestone. The purpose of these engraved stone pillars was to indicate the distance (in miles). They can be considered as the ancestors of our modern road signs. This artefact is one of the last two located on the island of Montreal and in addition to being the only one still visible. This artefact is located on the east side of King George Parc. Can you find it?
Sources :
Stewart, A. et Robichaud, L. (mai 2001). Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise. Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française.
A country style picnic will be held next Wednesday, August 17 to close the summer season. This activity is open to everyone. In addition to enjoying the beauty of the outdoor site, you will have the opportunity to visit our exhibition of the never-before-seen historical photos of Leopold Hurtubise.
Bring your lunch and join us for a festive picnic in the beautiful historic country garden of the Hurtubise House. Dining tables will be set up on site to accommodate groups of 4 to 6 people.
After dinner, the guests will be invited to gather in two groups (of about a dozen people) for an indoor-outdoor guided tour of the house.
The site visit will take place as follows:
From 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Group 1:a one-hour guided tour of the residence with a guide-interpreter;
Group 2: an outdoor tour of the gardens and the old barn that can be self-guided and commented via our podcast available on our mobile app (duration : 45 min.).
From 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Group 2: a one-hour guided tour of the residence with a guide-interpreter;
Group 1: an outdoor tour of the gardens and the old barn that can be self-guided and commented via our podcast available on our mobile app (duration : 45 min.).
Opening hours and visit fees:
Wednesday, August 17, from 12pm to 4:30 p.m.
Adults (18+): $10
Teenagers (12-18 years old): $6
Children (6-12 years old): $4
The number of participants being limited to 30 people, please reserve no later than Tuesday, August 16, 3:00 p.m. by email : coord@hcq-chq.org.
Free access to the property is not allowed. Please do not bring a portable barbecue grill.
In case of rain, the activity could be postponed to the following day.
Join us to celebrate the end of summer season! Come with your family! A discovery learning activity is planned for children.
The ship is just about to leave for a long trip… From France to the New World, the journey can take up to several months. On board, in addition to the crew, is an essential commodity, alcohol. Barrels of wine will make the same long journey as the crew, for the purpose of satisfying the thirst of the inhabitants of the Nouvelle-France.
In the cellar of the Hurtubise House, four barrels of wine and port were found, as well as a rack for wine bottles. Although it is probably impossible to know with certainty the use that the family made of it or even the origin of all these articles related to alcohol, it does not prevent the curiosity relative to the place of alcohol in the colony of the Nouvelle-France from being piqued.
The history goes back to Samuel de Champlain… Already at that time, the French had the idea of importing European vines (Lafrance, 1992). Some attempts to make wine had already been made with the wild vines of the Nouvelle-France, only the wine was black and very bitter making it completely undrinkable. The imported vines were also a failure since the wine always remained bitter. The colonists had to realize that importing wine from France was the best solution to the problem of undrinkable alcohol (Allaire, 2009).
If for some, the consumption of wine was frequent at the time (Allaire, 2009), others are of the opposite opinion (Ferland, 2004). This duality is explained in the statistics found in the inventories of the merchants of the time. It even seems that “some years, the quantities of imported alcohol were so important that this type of merchandise constituted the most revenue in taxes at the port of Quebec” (Ferland, 2004). However, the importation of wine is comparable to an art, so much so that one must calculate not to let the wine alter and become bitter during transportation. Despite the debate, it seems that another alcohol such as beer was also very popular with the population (Allaire, 2009).
With numerous privateer attacks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Seven Years’ War, alcohol took longer to reach the population. Sometimes the boats never came! Prices were rising and the way to solve this problem was to turn to another source of alcohol that could be produced directly in Nouvelle-France. Apple trees grow easily on the land and besides, the Hurtubise family had already started growing apples and owned a wine press (Stewart, Robichaud, 2001, p. 54), so why not make cider (Ferland, 2004)?
Slowly, the production of cider and beer will take over in Nouvelle-France, although the importation of certain styles of wine such as port will be easier under the English regime (Lafrance, 1992).
Stewart, A. Robichaud, L. (2001). Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise. Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française et Ministère de la Culture et des Communications.
It is by an old narrow staircase serving as a passage to the basement that the visitor is forced to bend his head, in order to avoid a very low ceiling composed of various obstacles, making the visit to the basement a real expedition. It must be said that it is not in vain that the passage is difficult to access once well advanced in the basement, it is possible to notice three huge tree trunks placed horizontally along the ceiling. It is most fascinating to note that these three cedar trees still have their bark from when they were cut down around 1534 or 1535!
In their own way, these large tree trunks have taken root in the Hurtubise House due to their function as beams supporting the entire upper floors. It is because the beams are heavy that they are supported by what is called a “stone load-bearing partition”. This type of wall is “located inside of a building, [and] helps the load-bearing facade walls support the weight of the frame and floors, which it reduces the extend, and often allows to stabilize the building by participating in bracing.” (Office québécois de la langue française, 2019).
On the first floor, it is not massive tree trunks that provide stability and support for the rest of the house, since looking up to the ceiling, you can see other beams, more elaborate, less massive, and especially more aesthetic. These are made of large trunks of wood cut until obtaining a beam in the shape of a prism with a rectangular base – this technique is called “squaring”. The wood is thus squared and has, in addition, a fine finish (smooth) produced by sanding.
On the second floor of the Hurtubise House, the squared beams are similar to those on the first floor, with the only difference being that they do not have a fine finish (thus leaving visible the traces of the tools used to make them). Large beams are placed at intervals of 6 to 8 feet apart, while smaller beams are found between them.
Also on the second floor, along the front and back walls, we can also find diagonally placed pieces of wood connecting the beams of the attic floor to the stone walls of the house – these are called struts. These pieces of wood serve to transfer the weight of the attic structure to the stone walls.
In the attic, there is a magnificent wooden structure – punch, beams, and braces – which support the roof, the rafters, the bridging, and the cedar shingles. Some of the rafters are so-called mobile rafters, with no real attachment to the load-bearing structure, while others are connected to the trusses, giving to this structure a triangular shape that forms the master truss at the base of modern roof trusses.
Since 1956, sixty-five years ago, Canadian Heritage of Quebec has preserved a vast collection of archives, documents and artefacts, which are partially integrated in its Documentation and Archives Centre (DAC). The latter includes several hundred documents in French and English: monographs, periodicals, press clippings, maps and plans, photographs (circa 1900), as well as a collection of hundreds of artefacts that brings to life several important chapters in our history.
The CHQ collection includes various documents dating from the 18th, 19th centuries and the early 20th century, distributed among different funds including the ones from the Hurtubise, Amos, Wardleworth, CHQ and others. These archives include among other things paintings, stereotypes (1869–1880) and photographs on metal plates or glass negatives.
For nearly ten years, these archives have been the subject of exhibitions at the Maison Hurtubise and currently, a remarkable exhibition is being presented to mark the 65th anniversary of the preservation of the Maison Hurtubise (1956) by Canadian Heritage of Quebec. It displays photographs taken between 1900 and 1908 by Dr. Léopold Hurtubise on glass negatives. Close to 300 of those negatives are preserved by HCQ.
The DAC is open to professionals and students alike, to researchers, teachers, historians, genealogists, as well as to history and heritage enthusiasts. A list of some of these documents and archives is now available on the CHQ website under the “Library & Archives” tab, where you will find all the modalities to consult them.
Canadian Heritage of Quebec is pleased to make some unique documents from its collection available for consultation on site at Hurtubise House. The consultation room of the Documentation and Archives Centre is accessible only by prior appointment. If you wish to make an appointment to consult our documents, please send us your request by e-mail to biblio@hcq-chq.org, mentioning your first and last name, your contact information, and your research topic. An appointment may take a few days to take place, depending on the number of visitors and the availability of volunteer resources.
Exhibition: 375th anniversary of the founding of MontrealHurtubise House (Circa 1901-1908); on glass negativeStereotype; Bonsecours Market and the Montreal wharf
Looking at the frontage of the Hurtubise House is to look at a lot of small details that combine to create the house’s particular architecture. Letting your eyes wander over the double-sided roof, the fieldstone or the stonework around the windows reveals a lot about the evolution of the house, but also about the history of these architectural elements.
An “anchor” is a piece of metal that prevents two parts of a structure from moving apart over time. Since the movement of the ground can cause a building to move apart, the purpose of the anchor is to reduce this effect by attaching itself to the floor beams and to the walls (Culture et communication Québec, 2001). In addition to holding various parts together, anchors are visible from the outside since part of the element protrudes from the exterior wall (Paré, 1993). Far from being only observable in one and the same version, they can take different forms. Thus, anchors in the shape of the letter S are simply called “esses” (Culture et communications Québec, 2015).
If you look closely, you can see that between the roof of the Hurtubise House and the stone walls, there are some anchors to hold these two structural elements together. Also, around the openings, you can notice other anchors called esses that are embedded in the stone walls. Around the front windows of the house for example, the esses were probably only used to hold the shutters that were installed at the time. It must be said that the shape of the metal letter S is often carefully forged creating an arabesque effect, which makes this small element very pretty on a frontage! Thus, they can also fulfill aesthetic purposes.
Since esses can also hold louvres, it would be interesting to demystify what the difference is between a shutter, a blind, louvre or a brace—terms that often seem to get mixed up…
Perhaps we should start by establishing that shutters can never be seen outside: they are designed to be placed inside, close to the windows themselves. Braces, on the other hand, can be found outside, although they are solid panels that are placed in front of the windows to block the wind, for example. An expanded version of braces, louvres became popular a little later in history (City of Lévis). From the solid wood panel, long strips are removed to allow ventilation and a view to the outside. When the slats are mobile, the louvre is called a blind (Culture et communications, 2015). The Maison Hurtubise had louvres around the windows for a long time; now removed, they are displayed inside the house. A few pictures still remain to testify of this bygone era and to give us an idea of what it might have looked like.
You just have to open your eyes to find the esses or the hooks used to hang the louvres in those days. Will you find them?
In the barn near the Maison Hurtubise, the discovery of a magnificent outdoor wrought iron bench raised many questions as to its origin and history.
A two-seater bench, of which most of the furniture—i.e., the backrest, the armrests, and the legs—is composed of wrought iron crafted to create a set of arabesques and floral patterns. The seat, on the other hand, is made of wood. It is possible to assume that the bench must have been used outside the house as garden furniture.
There is very little information about the mystery around this piece of furniture. However, it is possible to know that the manufacturer of the bench is called The Coalbrookdale Company. Coalbrook, in addition to being the name of the manufacturer, is a village in England known for being the first place of mining and metallurgical development in the first phase of the Industrial Revolution in England (Montagne, 2007). Currently, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron has a bench in its archives identical to the one at Hurtubise House.
According to the information of this second bench in England, we can date the furniture around the year 1859. Apparently, at that time, a series of garden furniture (benches and chairs) were made of wrought iron, using different floral patterns. The one at the Hurtubise House is likely called the Oak and Ivy Chair (Stephen, 2015).
The reasons why the Hurtubise family could have owned this piece of furniture from the other side of the ocean are still unknown…
To protect oneself in case of danger, to provide for oneself, to hunt animals, to wage war… What do all these things have in common? The answer to this question is an object that can be held in one’s hands, a complex and meticulously worked object, a firearm.
One only has to go into the kitchen of the Maison Hurtubise, take a few steps towards the fireplace to revive our memory of warmth, the warmth of a robust flame used in the past in the kitchen. Nearby are two old-fashioned gunpowder firearms that bear witness to a rich history concerning the whole of the Nouvelle-France.
We must go back as far as the arrival of the Europeans in America to realize the starting point of the emergence of firearms, which were first exchanged with the natives. It is important to know that at that time, transactions between natives and Europeans were done by barter (exchange of one good for another) and firearms were not just simple objects introduced into daily life. Revolutionizing the social hierarchy, the way of hunting and even warfare, firearms also changed the relationship between indigenous peoples and settlers. Indeed, the battles in the forest conducted thereafter would occur on a more egalitarian basis, while the natives would also have the opportunity to defend themselves with this same effective weapon (Marchand, 2006).
Although the settlers had not discovered firearms when they were establishing themselves in America, their relationship with this object changed a lot. In Nouvelle-France, the use of firearms was free and unrestricted, giving the population the legal and moral right to own them. However, under the threat of the natives, between 1654 and 1658, a law was introduced to make it mandatory to always carry a gun. Although this measure aimed at protecting the population existed, it does not seem to have been very effective: there were too few weapons in circulation (Blais).
The downside is that very few firearms, if any, are made in Nouvelle-France. Why was this? Under the laws of mercantilism, the colony only served to bring raw materials to the metropolis. This law generates an almost unique consumption of goods coming from the metropolis by the inhabitants of the colony. Most firearms therefore came from France or, in smaller quantities, from other European countries such as England or Holland (Bouchard, 1999). Knowing this, it makes sense that not enough firearms were imported to accommodate the population.
Nevertheless, the profession of gunsmith existed in Nouvelle-France. Travelling for the most part directly from France with very limited financial resources, the men practicing this trade did more repairs on guns than the actual manufacturing of the weapons (Bouchard, 1978).
The history of firearms is a rich one! It is a distant history that tells of all the changes that a “new” technology could bring to the society of Nouvelle France, as well as to the way of life of the natives.
Between all sorts of treasures and wooden boards was a large wooden sign with a barely perceptible message…
Buried in the back of the barn at Maison Hurtubise, it was not until around 2010 that this discovery was made. Like a golden nugget that has not yet been refined, the sign was taken out of the barn and brought to a restorer. Little by little, the letters appeared until they revealed themselves to us:
“Lots for Sale on Hurtubise and Westmount Aves. Apply on promises or 432 Board of Trade”
This find is worth much more than what one might think at first glance about a simple wooden sign forgotten in a barn. This sign is nothing less than a perfect representation of a period of transition for the Hurtubise family. Having been farmers since the house was built in 1739, the family’s livelihood evolved over time, moving the house from a rural to an urban setting where agriculture was no longer practiced.
At the very beginning, in 1739, it was the cultivation of cereals which provided the employment of the family members. Years later, discovering the cultivation of fruits and vegetables (vegetable growing), the family gradually abandoned grain until all agricultural activity ceased following the development of the land in the City of Côte-Saint-Antoine (formerly the City of Westmount) in residential lots.
However, this change of land use did not happen overnight. It was rather inserted in the agriculture that was still being done at that time. To be more precise, it is in 1846 that the first sale of a lot of Hurtubise land occurred. Sold to Hugh Ramsay, an English publisher and bookseller, the lot sold marked the beginning of housing development for the family. In 1873, a large portion of the farm at the bottom of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road was sold to Ephrem Hudon, leaving an area far too small to farm. This is a turning point for the Côte-Saint-Antoine neighborhood as it begins to develop more and more into an urban area.
Around the 1890s and 1900s, the Hurtubise family members became successful professionals who no longer had any contact with farming. They concentrated on selling their remaining land, which they divided into smaller lots for housing development. It is not at all coincidental that the City of Westmount grew during these same years and that the entire region became progressively urbanized, driven by numerous municipal projects.
Still observable today, a relic of this transitional era is the barn. Built around the 1890s, it seems that it became a carriage house for the family who no longer needed a traditional barn to protect the agricultural harvest. The different use of the barn goes perfectly with the new vocation of the Hurtubise’s land, becoming simply their place of residence.
The last generation of Hurtubise living in the house was not just simple professionals, as a large part of their interests were in the arts and culture. When Leopold Hurtubise acquired the house in 1909, he wished to undertake renovations which began in 1911. Thus, Léopold Hurtubise’s interest in the arts was also reflected in the renovations, particularly in the gallery with its Beaux-Arts style architecture.
After being renovated, the house was then transformed into what one could call a “villa”. The money invested in the renovations increased its value and the location away from the smelly downtown area was part of the characteristics of a villa. But what happens to the existing land if it is no longer used for agricultural purposes?
Reminiscent of a resort, the land takes on a country atmosphere and is ultimately used only by the family. A few photos show friendly gatherings that must have taken place outside the house. The family is certainly far from the days of the farmhouse!
With all this information in mind, it is much easier now to understand why the wooden sign reflects this important transitional period in the careers of the family members, as well as the changing role of the house and the land. It is in the few words of the sign, however, that a mystery still lies…
Around 2010, when the wooden sign had not yet been discovered, the President of the Westmount Historical Association came to share information with the Executive Director of Maison Hurtubise about the name of a part of Victoria Street. It seems that the Hurtubise family had the idea of naming the part of Victoria Street that was north of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road “Hurtubise Avenue”. Shortly after Miss Lindsay’s visit, the wooden sign in the barn was discovered. Written in black letters, there was finally a trace of “Hurtubise Ave.”!
Some additional research has thickened the mystery since it does not seem that such a name has been recorded elsewhere. An avenue bearing the name of Hurtubise can only be a will of the family or a temporary name. We have yet to discover the end of the story…
Nevertheless, historical research done in 2004 presents interesting elements on the beginning of the period of the sale of the lots located near Wesmount Ave. placing it possibly around 1885 – 90. A small anecdotal fact: the Board of Trade building referred to in the sign burned down in 1901 and was later rebuilt elsewhere.
Without a discovery such as this wooden sign, part of the history would have been lost. Bringing in elements that cannot be traced elsewhere, the sign is a perfect example of the change from rural to urban life for the members of the last generation of Hurtubise. So, it’s not just a simple wooden sign!
Doors must be closed, shutters and curtains too; there is a cold wind blowing outside which is trying very hard to infiltrate in the house. Family members gather in the same room in front of a huge masonry construction, the fireplace. The flickering of the orange flames brings a light in everyone’s eyes.
Winter has always been a challenge for Montrealers and the Hurtubise family had to face this reality too. The story behind the soothing warmth coming from the Hurtubise’s fireplaces likely brings a glimmer of light in their eyes, that of curiosity.
The Hurtubise House has two fireplaces which are located respectively to the west, in the living room, and to the east, in the kitchen, which is used for both heating and cooking purposes. When the Hurtubise family decided to extend the original version of the house and add an annex at the end of the XIXth century, the discovery of stones in the form of an arch revealed the presence of vestiges of what had originally been a bread oven in the kitchen’s fireplace (Stewart et Robichaud, 2001, page 45).
From this last fireplace used for cooking, it is possible to see stones coming out from the bottom which is a direct testimonial of the past. It appears that fireplaces as well as bread oven form part of the original masonry contract which dates back to 1739 (Stewart et Robichaud, 2001 pg. 45).
There have been other discoveries and in 2011 an archeological excavation was done at the Hurtubise House to look further into the researches carried out, this time, on the fireplace on the west side. It appeared that, due to a water leak, the hearth (stones located on the floor in front of the fireplace) got detached over time, resulting in an accumulation of ashes inside. Archeologists have proceeded to the sifting of the ashes and have made crucial discoveries revealing material objects in direct correlation with the people living in the Hurtubise House since 1739. Tangible fragments such as a red brown flintlock rifle which dates back to the XVIIIth century or more inexplicably a golden ceramic rosary form part of these findings (Archéotec, 2012, pg. 81-82).
When referring to the fireplace on the west side, it must be specified that a metal trap used for controlling the draught is located in the chimney. With the help of a handle on the side, it is possible to open or close the trap in order to control the fire intensity and the heat in the room. There is also a sliding metal partition in front of the hearth which can be moved from top to bottom and held in place with metal pins. This partition also helps to reduce draught and to improve the home heating. When the fireplace is not used, a wooden trap covers the hearth opening. However, the mantel made of wood appliqués which dates back to the 18th century, stays permanently on the fireplace.
The fireplaces are not the only items of interest in the house as the Hurtubise House’s collection also comprises a wood box which was perhaps used to store firewood. Made of a smaller dimension, this box is also called a kindling box or hod box and is made of wood covered with decorated brass. Depending on the type of kindling box, the brass cover shows different artwork.
It is around fireplaces, very useful elements at that time but more discreet nowadays because they are not used, that a rich history has evolved and gives us a glimpse one layer at a time of the elements buried by time and ashes.
Sources:
Stewart, A. et Robichaud, L. (2001). Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise. Rapport présenté au Ministère de la Culture et des Communications et à l’Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française.
Archéotec. (2012). Maison Hurtubise. Rapport d’inventaire et supervision archéologiques.
