The Dunnigan Houses

The first Dunnigan house, later became a bakehouse.

The first settler on the site, Jean Baptiste Dumont, felled his own trees to build a squared log house on the newly cleared land.

Photo source :
Drawing : Jean-Pierre Côté, 1974, Andrew Dunnigan Family Collection

«Pension Dunnigan» - Rooms and Board.

Towards 1819, Pierre Bonenfant, the second owner, built himself a larger house following traditional French building techniques.  The original house, with its steep gable roof, was a log structure clad with vertical planks.  Over time, it was twice enlarged at the west end.  Today restored, massive stone chimneys bear witness to the house's venerable age.

Photo source :
Kathleen Dunnigan Collection

The traditional Quebec farmhouse and the house with French building techniques.

When François X. Hudon, dit Beaulieu bought the property, he found the house too small for his needs and had a third house built in 1861.  This residence stands on a higher foundation and was given a wide veranda on all four sides, partially covered by overhanging eaves.  It has a low-pitched roof and balanced facade.  This is a traditional Quebec farmhouse, refined by classical features

Photo source :
Photo : Lynda Dionne, 1992

South view of the Dunnigan house and its bakehouse.

The growth of the village allowed for the preservation of these three testimonies to its past.  The earliest house became a bakehouse where the Beaulieu family stayed during the tourist season.  Back in 1863, a farmer could bring in much-needed cash by renting out his home.  Along with the furnishings, he provided his tenants with wood and water.  Summer residents were also given use of the bathhouse that stood at the end of a narrow path.

Photo source :
Drawing : Jean-Pierre Côté, 1974, Andrew Dunnigan Family Collection

Peter Dunnigan and his wife in front of their properties.

Around 1863, an Irish gardener by the name of Peter Dunnigan who had first come to work for a summer resident, began farming for the Beaulieus.  In 1896, he bought the land.  Three generations of Dunnigans rented their home and took in lodgers for the summer.  Graeme Towers, Governor of the Bank of Canada, was one of their guests.  Between 1916 and 1922, a doctor set up his office in a section of the old Pierre Bonenfant house, where he treated summer residents.

Photo source:
Kathleen Dunnigan Collection