The François Bâby House is a historic residence located in Windsor, Ontario

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...

 Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 which was owned by the prominent local politician François Baby

François Baby (politician)

François Baby was a soldier, political figure and businessman in Upper Canada.He was born in Detroit in 1768, the son of Jacques Baby and nephew of François Baby. Although Roman Catholic and French Canadian, he belonged to one of the richest and most powerful families in the Western District of...

. The house was known as La Ferme locally, and was a French-Canadian ribbon farm

Ribbon farm

Ribbon farms are long, narrow land divisions, usually lined up along a waterway. In some instances, they line a road.-Description:...

 which was a long narrow tract fronting endwise on the Detroit River

Detroit River

The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...

. The home itself has historical ties to the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

 where it was used as a headquarters by both the American and British forces. The François Baby House (c. 1812 to 1815) is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Today, the François Baby House has been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada and serves as the current home of Windsor's Community Museum

Windsor's Community Museum

Windsor Community Museum is a historical museum located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada which displays the city's rich and colourful past. It is located in the historic François Baby House, built in 1812 by François Baby, a prominent French-Canadian .The Museum was originally named the Hiram Walker...

, a historical museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 which displays the city's rich and colourful past.

Timeline

• 1751 - November 24. Land including site of the house granted by Pierre Celoron, Sieur de Bienville, commandant at French Detroit, to Pierre Reaume.
• 1800 - December 19. Suzanne Reaume Baby sold the farm to her son François for ten shillings plus one grain of pepper.
• 1812 - Spring and summer. Construction of the house. Original front faced the Detroit River
  Detroit River
  The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
  
  
• 1812 - July 12. War of 1812 opened with invasion of Upper Canada across the Detroit River. Baby house commandeered, unfinished, by American Brigadier General William Hull
  William Hull
  William Hull was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolution, was Governor of Michigan Territory, and was a general in the War of 1812, for which he is best remembered for surrendering Fort Detroit to the British.- Early life and Revolutionary War :He was born in...
  
  
• 1812 - July 13. Defensive works established around the three inland sides. American camp was located in Baby's orchard.
• 1812 - August 7. Hull's position had worsened, and he withdrew his troops to the safety of Fort Lernoult, directly across the river from the house.
• 1812 - August 15. Arrival of main British force on upper Detroit River, led by Major General Isaac Brock
  Isaac Brock
  Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB was a British Army officer and administrator. Brock was assigned to Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he commanded his regiment in Upper Canada successfully for many years...
  
  . Bombardment of Detroit began. Americans returned fire.
• 1812 - August 16. Bombardment continued, and Detroit surrendered to invading British, Canadians, and Indians.
• 1838 - December 4. Battle of Windsor, fought in the Baby orchard, ended the Patriot War
  Patriot War
  The Battle of Windsor was a short-lived campaign in the eastern Michigan area of the United States and the Windsor area of Upper Canada. A group of men on both sides of the border, calling themselves "Patriots", formed small militias in 1837 with the intention of seizing the Southern Ontario...
  
  , which had resulted from political disturbances in Upper Canada. Invading "Patriots" were largely American.

• 1850 - October 8. Fire heavily damaged Baby House.
• 1890 - The House had been converted to a double dwelling. Original north porch replaced by a full-width lean-to
  Lean-to
  A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
  
  . Pitt Street side became the front. Bay windows connecting porch, gables added to new front.
• c.
  Circa
  Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
  
  1931 - House abandoned during the Great Depression
  Great Depression
  The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
  
  .
• 1948 - Partial renovation. Additions removed, Pitt Street wall replaced.
• 1958 - Final renovation. François Baby House opened May 7 as the Hiram Walker Historical Museum.
• 1968 - Addition of underground storage and outdoor display facility

External links

• Windsor's Community Museum