Then and Now
<span>ELLIS GROVE -- The Pierre Menard Home State Historic Site in Ellis Grove is in dire need of attention.</span>
<span>Built in the early 1800s, the two-story house was the home of Pierre Menard, the first lieutenant governor of Illinois and a successful French Canadian businessman and trader.</span>
<span>But a wet spring and summer has resulted in mold and dirty siding that gives the building an unfavorable appearance.</span>
<span>"I'd like to find some volunteers to wash the house down because the house needs to be washed down," said Tour Guide Barb Reinhart. "Yes, we've had mold and a little bit of a flood, but hopefully we can get some people to help.</span>
<span>"The state wouldn't have to fund it."</span>
<span>Reinhart said the roof is "attempting to leak" and the front steps and railing are also in need of repair.</span>
<span>"I don't want to cut the state's throat, I'm just wanting some help," Reinhart said.</span>
<span>On its website, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency says the Pierre Menard Home is an "unusually fine example of French Creole-style architecture" with a steep, double-hipped roof and a veranda that wraps the building's front facade listed as its notable features.</span>
<span>The home, which features some of the Menard family's personal belongings, also includes a museum and audio-visual room in the basement with living spaces used by the Menard family on the main floor.</span>
<span>A stone kitchen, complete with brick baking oven, is separate from the main house via a covered walkway and the grounds include a reconstructed smokehouse and springhouse.</span>
<span>Bought by the State of Illinois in 1927, the Pierre Menard Home was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and designated a National Historic Landmark.</span>
<span>It was named as a contributing property to Illinois' French Colonial Historic District in 1974.</span>
<span>"It needs some attention and that's what I'm asking for," Reinhart said.</span>
<span>Individuals interested in volunteering to help spruce up the property can contact Reinhart at 618-859-3031.</span>