Colonial French presence in North America lasted roughly 150 years and extended from Canada through the interior waterways to New Orleans. The homes and out buildings the French colonists built in these far-different climates shared similarities in style but varied in dimensions inside and out to better suit local weather patterns.

    This book describes the basic Norman style of construction techniques found in these buildings and how the "post-on-earth" vertical log structure came to be. There are photos of early French buildings in the Illinois Country, most from the town of Ste. Genevieve, MO, along with many line art illustrations and architectural renderings showing how these structures were made.

    While some of the homes shown in great detail are now museums open to the public, some homes remain private dwellings and can only be seen from the street. What's remarkable is that these homes remain in use as residences after more than 200 years continuous occupation!

    If you want to read about this fascinating type of home or even build your own "poteaux-en-terre" log home, this richly-illustrated book is a graphic must read!   MB-041   $25.00