Maison François Baby House Exhibits

Windsor's French Roots

Maison François Baby House. Permanent Exhibit. Opened December 2, 2015.

Exhibit Background

The Windsor area is the oldest continuously-inhabited French colony west of Montreal and was the first permanent European settlement in all of Ontario. As part of the Museum Expansion Project, The François Baby House (one of the oldest houses in Windsor) is being renovated to house exhibitions highlighting aspects of Windsor's history that were important to the history of this house. As this house was built by an early French-Canadian, François Baby, locating a permanent exhibition on the history of the French in this area is a perfect fit.

The Exhibit

This exciting new exhibit explores:

• How the French came to Windsor
• French and First Nations
• French and slavery
• Life on the French Frontier
• Importance of Jesuit Pear Trees
• How Windsor's street system reflects French settlement patterns
• Changing nature of the French population over the years
• Windsor/Essex area unique contributions to the French language
• Preserving the language - the role of French Schools
• Cultural Survival

Some Notable Artifacts in the Exhibit

• Pocket sundial compass made by Roch Blondeau in Paris, France in 1671 and brought to the Detroit region by Pierre Descomptes dit Labadie - one of the first settlers to receive a land concession on the Windsor side of the river in 1749.
• Land grant to Joseph Mailloux of the Parish of l'Assumption, April 3, 1804.
• Silver trade cross made by Antoine Oneille, who moved to Detroit at the end of the 1700s where he made silverworks for John Askin, a merchant who traded with Aboriginal people.
• Walls from an 18th Century milk house located on the Parent-Janisse property, Riverside Drive East.
• Section of Erben pipe organ which measures 22 feet in height in its entirety and was donated to Assumption Church by Charles Baby and Arthur Rankin in 1847.

Exhibit Development Background

The French Community was enthusiastic from the start about the prospect of having a permanent exhibition of local French history. While the development of this exhibition was proceeding, the Ontario Government announced a celebration of 400 years of French presence in Ontario. As part of these celebrations, our community partners, L’Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario Windsor Essex Kent, and the Economic Development and Employability Network (RDÉE) applied for and received a grant from the Ontario government to help celebrate the opening of “Windsor’s French Roots”. Together with our partners, we are very pleased to be able to offer this dynamic overview of the French history of Windsor/Essex to visitors and long-time residents alike.

Special Thanks