Written by Delia Oltean

And here it is, finished… It is magically perfect! However, you must take a few steps back to see all the colours sparkling in the dark… The coloured globes reflect the lights and send red and green beams everywhere, it’s beautiful. When you get closer, it’s the little details of each bauble that are revealed. Yes, this year, our Christmas tree is very nice!

Suddenly a thought comes to mind: what is the history of this beloved tree?

We must go back as far as the Middle Ages to see these famous Christmas trees. The only difference is that then they were not in our homes, but in theatres (Lebel, 1996, p. 24)! It was not until the 16^th century that the first decorated trees appeared in Alsace and Strasbourg. What were the ornaments? Apples, sweets, pretzels, and paper roses as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. Gifts for children were also hung among the branches (Marsh, 2015).

Even though the tradition of the Christmas tree originated in France, it seems that the practice was not really pursued by the colonists in Nouvelle France. It was not until the wife of a German general, Friederike Charlotte Louise von Riedesel, decided to light a tree on Christmas Eve in Sorel in 1781 (Lebel, 1996, p. 24).

As for the famous Christmas baubles, they appeared in Germany during the 1830s and did not immediately find their place on the branches of the tree, but rather were hung in the windows. The function of the baubles was to detect evil spirits who wished to spoil the holiday (Lebel, 1996, p. 25). Indeed, if we see our own reflection, it means that we are a real human being who can receive our gifts. Without a reflection, however, we must be careful!

The practice of setting and decorating one’s Christmas tree gained popularity during the Victorian era, in 1848, after an illustration depicted the royal family decorating their Christmas tree. Even though Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, contributed to the popularity of the tree, it is necessary to mention that, contrary to popular belief, the tradition had already been started by Queen Charlotte at the turn of the 19^th century (Marsh, 2015).

As the 19th century progressed, inventions such as the electric bulb also contributed to the magic of Christmas: the manufactured production of garlands began around 1890. Interestingly, the first Christmas tree lit by small electric bulbs in Quebec was in Westmount in 1896 (Lebel, 1996, p. 26)!

This year, it is Maison Hurtubise’s turn to join the tradition of lighting the Christmas tree. During the holiday season, don’t hesitate to pass by the house—it’s your turn to observe this tree with a fascinating history!

We wish you a happy holiday season.

---

Bibliography :

Lebel, J.-M. (1996). Mon beau sapin : coutumes et décorations de l’arbre de Noël. Cap-aux-Diamants (47), 24–27. https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/8234ac

Marsh, J. (2015). Christmas in Canada. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/christmas-in-canada

Written by Delia Oltean –

The very first motorized carriages replacing horses, gramophones used to broadcast music, cameras… All these inventions dating from the end of the 19^th to the beginning of the 20^th century were discovered progressively by the last generation of Hurtubise. At the beginning of this century, rich in all kinds of changes, the increase in the family’s level of education contributed to quench the thirst for knowledge of the last ones who lived in the house. The access to art stimulated the different passions of the family until they left behind them, still today, traces of this interest.

Two names stand out when we go back to the beginning of the last century: Melvina and Léopold Hurtubise. Melvina’s profession as a nurse did not prevent her from improving her talent for drawing. Some of her drawings are still preserved in the house and can be viewed during a guided tour. Leopold, on the other hand, was more interested in technology and artistic fashions than in the application of any particular art.

When Leopold acquired the house in 1911, he took the opportunity to add “symbols of modern comfort to the interior, namely running water and electricity.” (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.52) The Hurtubise house had thus been renovated to allow for the additional comfort that the technologies of their time allowed. Far from simply modernizing the interior, Léopold also modified the exterior look by undertaking renovations. He wished to “break the plain appearance adopted during the 1870s.” (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.52) To achieve this result, the fieldstone rendering was removed, the siding on the addition differed from that of the house, and some windows were added.

Following the renovations of the Hurtubise House in 1911, the major change remains, despite all the modifications, the Beaux-Arts style gallery at the front of the house. Very trendy in the United States, Beaux-Arts architecture was popular between 1880 and 1930 and is recognizable by its massive appearance with many decorative arches and columns (Jackson, 2021, para. 7). This type of architecture was much more commonly used for large public buildings (for example the Grand Central Terminal in New York City), although it is possible to see privately owned homes of the elite in Newport, Rhode Island (Jackson, 2021, para. 3). The gallery of the Hurtubise House was first expanded to cover the entire length of the façade. The gallery turns the corner of the house to allow the addition of a staircase along the wall. It is likely that Leopold’s inspiration for the Beaux-Arts came from his travels (it should also be noted that Melvina lived in New York for some time). The gallery is then in the image of the trendy architecture of the time!

Sources:

• 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. 
• Jackson, A. (2021). Beaux-Arts Architecture: Definition, Characteristics & Style. Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/beaux-arts-architecture-definition-characteristics-style.html 

Written by Delia Oltean –

To walk on the grounds of the Hurtubise House is to walk on years of history and on a land that has seen many generations pass. It is not surprising, given the age of the Hurtubise House, to learn that underneath a few layers of soil are found artifacts or fragments of objects forgotten and buried over time. Already, it is possible to notice some stones emerging from the lawn while walking near the carriage house. Let’s look at the meaning of these stones that can easily be missed…

It is necessary to go back to 1839 when the Hurtubise family’s land ownership changed radically. The land, since the acquisition of Louis Hurtubise in 1699, had never been divided and yet, the two brothers Antoine-Isaïe and Benjamin-Dominique decided to do otherwise by dividing the agricultural land in two.

On a plan by H. S. Sitwell, a prolific cartographer of the mid-nineteenth century, it is possible to see that to the southwest of the house there is a well (it is the one that can be seen by the stones today). It seems that it was condemned sometime later, and that the family replaced it with another one, very close to the house. “This second well had a cement cover and a wrought iron pump” (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.57).

The history of the wells does not end there, however, as there are traces that suggest a third well: on the east side of the property there appears to have been a well surrounded by a board fence (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.57). The second and third wells are no longer visible today and, despite some estimates from an archaeological excavation conducted in 2011, the exact location of these two other wells remains a mystery (Archéotec inc., 2012, p.73).

Sources:

• Steward, A. et Robichaud, L. (2001). Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise. Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française. 
• Archéotec inc. (2012). Inventaire et supervision archéologiques. Ville de Montréal et ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine. 

Written by Delia Oltean –

The number 563 Côte-Saint-Antoine Road is the current address of the Maison Hurtubise. Interesting to visit, who would have thought that an equally interesting history could also be hidden in its civil address?

Focusing on “chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine” reveals that the name has changed several times since the 1680s. At first without a name, it was not until 1730 that the first version of the name appeared: “grand chemin de la haute folie.” The second version of the name followed in 1760: “grand chemin de la haute côte.”

Why “Haute folie (high madness)”? While it may seem enigmatic at first, the reason is quite simple. The word “haute” is chosen considering the elevation of the road on the Mount-Royal. As for the word “folie,” it is important to know that the territory, until the very early 1700s, was crossed by various native populations and that the danger represented by the journey between Ville-Marie (now the Old Port of Montreal) and this region sometimes led to skirmishes with natives. The road was so dangerous that it was madness to go to this area of the Island of Montreal. According to two historians, Stewart and Robichaud, “the house acquired the nickname of la haute folie because it was located too far from Ville-Marie to be integrated into the local defence network”. (Stewart and Robichaud, 2001, p.9).

The exact date when the name “chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine” was chosen remains unknown. On the other hand, it is likely that a road was opened in the 19^th century to communicate with the developing village of Saint-Henri-des-Tanneries (where a lot of leather was produced).

In 1879, the village of Côte-Saint-Antoine was founded (which will later become the City of Westmount). The area, except for the widening of Côte-Saint-Antoine Road, remained the same after the subdivision of the upper part of the Hurtubise property was completed.

It is fascinating to note the evolution of the Hurtubise House environment over the years. From a completely unoccupied environment to an urbanized area, the house is still part of the City of Westmount’s landscape today.

Sources:

• Stewart, A. et Robichaud, L. (2001). Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise. Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française. 

Written by Delia Oltean –

The Hurtubise family’s farmland, until 1839, remained intact. Although the family, over time, acquired other lands elsewhere on the present Island of Montreal, the land that Louis Hurtubise had originally purchased in 1699 remained unchanged. It was in 1839, 140 years after Louis acquired the land that the first change in the division of the land occurred.

In the manner of the last generations of Hurtubise, Antoine-Isaïe and Benjamin-Dominique took over the farm that they will cultivate together. However, the two brothers decided to depart from tradition and divide the land into two portions that they will continue to cultivate individually. It is Antoine-Isaïe who will obtain the portion on which the Hurtubise House is located. The Hurtubise family, by this decision, will mark a long series of other actions of the same type.

Marie-Claire Laurent, Antoine-Isaïe’s first wife, unfortunately died in 1852 leaving her husband a widower. The latter remarried to Adélaïde Hudon the same year. His new wife is the sister of Ephrem Hudon who will become very close to the family and an important actor in the parcelling of the property.

In 1846, Antoine-Isaïe sold part of his land to an English bookseller and publisher named Hugh Ramsay for the sum of £75. This sale inspired Antoine-Isaïe to sell another part of his property to his brother-in-law, Ephrem Hudon. This sale was much more important, corresponding to 27.4 acres, that is to say the part of the farm that corresponds to the bottom of the Côte-Saint-Antoine Road. The sale is so important that the Hurtubise family has no longer enough space to continue their agricultural activity. This sale clearly improved the financial situation of the family who can afford to move towards professions requiring more education. 

The large portion of land that Éphrem Hudon acquired was part of the modification of the rural landscape of Côte Saint-Antoine into a new neighbourhood with multiple residences for wealthy English-speaking Montrealers. Slowly, the City of Westmount was created, and from 1895 onwards, it was called the City of Westmount.

When Antoine-Isaïe died in 1878, his son Isaïe hired a land surveyor a year later to draw up a subdivision plan for the remaining part of the farm. Despite this, Isaïe never developed his idea of selling: it would be the next generation that would sell the remaining lots surrounding the Maison Hurtubise.

Today, the Hurtubise House, along with its grounds, is a very small portion of the land originally acquired by Louis Hurtubise. During a memorial garden project in 2017, a planter on the side of the house represented the difference in proportions between the current land (a small square portion raised from the rest of the planter) and the original land (the entire rectangular planter).

Sources: 

• Ville de Westmount. (2021). Histoire. Ville de Westmount. https://westmount.org/la-ville/histoire-2/#1443015378855-6cb80bc7-976b 
• Stewart, A. et Robichaud, L. (2001). Étude patrimoniale de la maison des Hurtubise. Institut d’histoire de l’Amérique française. 

Written by Delia Oltean –

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. 
• Pointe-à-Callière. (s.d.). La Grande Paix de Montréal. Musée Pointe-à-Callière. https://pacmusee.qc.ca/fr/histoires-de-montreal/article/la-grande-paix-de-montreal/ 

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.

Written by Delia Oltean –

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).

Sources:

• Allaire, B. (2009). Le vin en Nouvelle-France. Vin Québec. https://vinquebec.com/node/6289
• Ferland, C. (2004). L’ivresse de découvrir. Au fil des événements. https://archives.nouvelles.ulaval.ca/Au.fil.des.evenements/2004/01.15/ferland.html
• Lafrance, M. (1992). De la qualité des vins en Nouvelle-France. Cap-aux-Diamants. https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cd/1992-n28-cd1039702/7981ac.pdf 
• 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. 

Written by Delia Oltean –

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.

Sources:

• Office québécois de la langue française. (2019). Mur de refend. Office québécois de la langue française. http://gdt.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ficheOqlf.aspx?Id_Fiche=8891171

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 18^th, 19^th centuries and the early 20^th 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 65^th 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.