The Francois Baby House

By Miranda Monahan

The Francis Baby House is a Canadian national historic site some Windsorites may not know about.

Considered part of Museum Windsor along with the Chimczuk Museum, the Baby House was built in 1812 by Francois Baby, and has been a museum since 1958.

“Francois Baby was a businessman and a member of the militia. He was kind of a [Jack-of-all- trades].  He kind of made money from wherever he could,” said Madelyn Della Valle, the curator at the Francois Baby House.

The War of 1812 broke out during the construction of the Baby House, since then it has been at the forefront of Windsor’s history.

“War broke out (and) General William Hall, an American general, invaded Canada and decided to come right here and installed himself in the Francois Baby House. The house [exterior] was finished, but the interior wasn’t finished,” said Della Valle.

The Baby House has several exhibits about the War of 1812 and the house itself. A new exhibit is coming in the spring.

Della Valle says there is a an exhibit about the 60th anniversary of the museum coming in the spring.

The years have not been kind to the Baby House. In 1850 the house was nearly destroyed in a fire.

“A fire in 1850 caused considerable damage and Baby did not have the energy to do much to restore his home. After his death in 1852, the house was passed down to his son Edmond who made several major structural changes including reducing it to two stories,” according to an article from Elaine Weeks in the Walkerville Times.

In March 2017, the house was named a national historic site of Canada.

As the holiday season approaches, the Baby House is hosting a Christmas scavenger hunt where participants will win a prize for completing the scavenger hunt.

Approximately 6,000 to 7,000 people visit the Baby House each year, with more visitors during the holiday season.