REGINA: How are the Colonial Dames involved?
BLANCHE: We are working to move beyond the simple and older model of being a house museum, to instead being a center to educate and understand the unique culture of Ste. Genevieve, the “Illinois Country”, and the French Colonial Territories at large.
REGINA: Is there conservation work being done there?
BLANCHE: NFTOCA manages five historic houses on the Ste. Genevieve campus: The Bolduc House, The Bolduc-LeMeilleur House, The Beauvais-Linden House, the Francois Valle II House, and the Jean-Baptiste Valle House. Additionally, a sixth building has been purchased and is being remodeled to be opened this Spring, to the public. This shall be called The Centre For French Colonial Life, and this exciting new building will house the Gift Shop, Main Offices, Temporary Exhibits, a Lecture Hall, and Orientation Exhibits about Ste. Genevieve and its role in the French and Spanish colonial period.
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