Private Claim 236 Lot of Hubert Lacroix

Private Claim 236 Lot of Hubert Lacroix. . Hubert Lacroix and his wife Archange Jerome were married in October of 1810. Lacroix owned seven ribbon farms west of the main settlement on both sides of the river. Hubert was elected Captain of the River Raisin Militia and placed in charge of a company of men that became known as "Lacroix's Company.” When Michigan Militia commander Major James Witherell ordered Lacroix to move closer to his company, he started building a new home along the River Raisin. Construction of their new home was delayed when General William Hull ordered Lacroix's Company to build a military road between the River Raisin and Detroit in the summer of 18 12. After General Hull surrendered the Michigan Territory to the Native Confederation and British in August, Capt. Lacroix was paroled and allowed to continue working on his new home.

As fall arrived, logs were still being cut and delivered to the saw pit that had been dug behind the building site. As logs arrived, they were rolled on top of the saw pit frame and cut by two men. One person worked in the pit, while another was on top of the frame and together they pulled a saw up and down lengthwise to cut timbers for the new home. As the 40' by 40' home reached the second floor, wood shingles were split in preparations for completing the roof before winter. Construction was again delayed on January 18, 1813, when the U.S. attacked the Confederation warriors and British troops who had occupied the French settlement since August. After liberating the settlement, the Kentucky Militia took over the unfinished Lacroix house and used it as a barracks and hospital. To keep warm during the frigid winter, militia members burned the boards that had been cut to build the home's floors.

On January 22, 1813, Capt. Lacroix and his company were caught in the surprise Confederation and British counter attack against the U.S. Army at the River Raisin. All of Lacroix's farms were burned including his new home, and his livestock was slaughtered in the fields during the battles. After the U.S. surrendered, Capt. Lacroix was arrested by the British and charged with breaking the terms of his parole by serving as a combatant. After the war, Lacroix returned to the River Raisin settlement and built a new brick home. Over time, Lacroix was promoted to Colonel of the local militia and served as a County Sheriff.

Pièce-sur-Pièce

The River Raisin was settled by French-Canadians who used pièce-sur-pièce and poteaux en coulisse construction, which consisted of squared logs inserted into upright posts by means of a mortise (hole) and tenon (tongue) system. Often the logs were secured by a wooden peg. The posts were attached to wooden sills placed on top of rock foundations called poteaux-sur-sole (post on sill). Connecting the post to the sills instead of into the ground prevented them from rotting.