Doctor Wilfrid Grignon House

176–184 Morin Street

Born in Saint-Jérôme in 1854, Wilfrid Grignon attended the Séminaire de Sainte-Thérèse. In 1868, he met François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle, the new priest of Saint-Jérôme and neighbour across the street from the Grignon family. Wilfrid Grignon became a doctor and settled in Sainte-Adèle in 1878.

He then bought this residence at the corner of Saint-Hyacinthe Street (today Morin) and Morin Street (today Beauchamp) from the carpenter Odile Biroleau dit Lafleur. With his wife Eugénie Baker, they raised their many children, including Claude-Henri, the youngest.

Very involved in his community, the good doctor Grignon held the positions of mayor of Sainte-Adèle from 1886 to 1891, followed by warden of the large county of Terrebonne, liquor licence commissioner as well as others. Doctor Grignon’s work to bring the railroad north was successful when the first train entered the station in 1891. He also played a major role in the Roland Paper Mill coming to Sainte-Adèle.

In 1904, Bell Telephone installed the first telephone exchange north of Saint-Jerome in the doctor’s house. There were 11 subscribers. Still at the turn of the century, Wilfrid Grignon built an aqueduct at his own cost to provide running water to about 15 residents in the upper village. The ever-active Wilfrid Grignon set up an experimental farm in Sainte-Adèle to research horse breeding and dairy cows.

After the death of the doctor in 1915, the house was sold to Joseph-Honorius Beauchamp. It remained in the Beauchamp family until 1976. The property was used in various ways as time went on, such as the post office for Sainte-Adèle-en-haut, Mrs. Hudon’s renowned flower shop, Françoise Lambert’s craft shop, the Canadian National Bank, a funeral home in addition to apartments on the second floor.

Originally, an overhang covered the front porch which ran along the entire façade. When viewed from Beauchamp Street, it is easy to see that it does not have the same depth on the west side as the attached houses that were later added. Note, however, the aesthetic and architectural uniqueness of these row houses with their splendid porches and decorative woodwork.

1895
Wilfrid and Claude-Henri Grignon
Picture: Pierre Grignon

Canadian national bank
Société d’histoire de Rivière-du-Nord