Felix Vallé House State Historic Site

37°58′48″N 90°2′41″W / 37.98000°N 90.04472°W / 37.98000; -90.04472Area11.73 acres (4.75 ha)^[1]Established1970^[2]Visitors7,619 (in 2022)^[3]Governing bodyMissouri Department of Natural ResourcesWebsiteFelix Vallé House State Historic Site

The Felix Vallé House State Historic Site is a state-owned historic preserve comprising the Felix Vallé House and other early 19th-century buildings in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. It is managed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.^[4]

History

The Vallé family traced their history back to a French colonial officer. They also had a long connection with slavery, which was common at that time in history. Felix Vallé held two enslaved man, Isaac and Joseph (aged mid-30s and 22-24 respectively), and his nephew Neree Vallé held Theodore (aged 25). They worked in the lead mines owned by Felix Vallé and formed part of the 1852 Ste. Genevieve Stampede trying to escape to Illinois. They were recaptured after a reward offered by the Vallés.^[5]

In 1877, three people, Basil, Jabette and Madeline, were bequeathed $300 by Felix Vallé who wrote that they were "formerly slaves owned by me."^[5]

Additional images

Modern day

The site offers tours of the Felix Vallé House, a Federal-style limestone structure built in 1818 by Jacob Phillipson, a Jewish merchant from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that in 1824 became the commercial outlet and home of Felix Vallé and Odile Pratte-Vallé.^[6] An authentically stocked mercantile store representing the firm of Menard & Vallé is on display. Other features of the house include original mantels and interior trim, early Empire furnishings, an exterior staircase leading to the second-floor bedrooms, and a garden with original brick and frame outbuildings.^[7]

The Bauvais-Amoureux House (1792), which is open seasonally, and the Dr. Benjamin Shaw House (1819) are also part of the historic site.^[6]

References

Further reading

• Aron, Stephen, American Confluence: The Missouri Frontier from Borderland to Border State, Indiana University Press, 2009, ISBN 0253200113.
• Deposki, Richard, Images of America: Ste. Genevieve, Chicago, IL: Arcadia Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7385-5183-8.
• Evans, Mark L., The Commandant’s Last Ride, Tucson, AZ: Patrice Press, 1998, ISBN 0971198004.
• Foster, Gerald, American Houses: A Field Guide to the Architecture of the Home, New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2004, ISBN 0618387994.
• Franzwa, Gregory M., The Story of Old Ste. Genevieve, Tucson: Patrice Press, 1998, ISBN 0935284869.
• Missouri Life Magazine, Lewis And Clark’s Journey Across Missouri, Booneville, MO: Missouri Life Magazine, 2003.
• Naeger, Bill, Patti Naeger, and Mark Evans, Ste. Genevieve: A Leisurely Stroll through History. Ste. Genevieve, MO: Merchant Street Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0967603900.
• Peterson, Charles E., Colonial St. Louis: Building a Creole Capital, Tucson, AZ: Patrice Press, 2001, ISBN 1880397005.
• Schroeder, Walter A., Opening the Ozarks: A Historical Geography of Missouri’s Ste. Genevieve District, 1760–1830, Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-8262-1398-3.
• Stepenoff, Bonnie, From French Community to Missouri Town, Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2006, ISBN 0826216684.
• Wehmeyer, Janice C., Ste. Genevieve, MO: A Guided Tour Through the Past and Present, self-published: 1993

External links