Village of Bourbonnais

Established in the 1830s, Bourbonnais is part of the French Heritage Corridor, an area rich in French history and heritage. 

Site History

The Bourbonnais Grove settlement is named for Francois Bourbonnais Sr., a French-Canadian fur trader who traded with the Potawatomi people. French-Canadian fur trader Noel LeVasseur established his trading post in the settlement in 1835, creating a meeting and focal point for the new community. In 1837, a log schoolhouse was built. That year, LeVasseur traveled to his native Quebec to recruit more French Canadians to the settlement. Due to political, economic, religious and agricultural problems at home, many of the Quebecois made the journey to northeastern Illinois, to what would become part of the French Heritage Corridor. By 1847, when the settlement’s future first mayor arrived, there were 77 French-Canadian families residing in Bourbonnais Grove. French culture was prevalent in the corridor, and French was the primary language until the 1960s. The log schoolhouse, once rebuilt, will attest to the historic French presence there.

About the Project

The project will rebuild Kankakee River Valley’s first log schoolhouse (1837–1848), one of the oldest structures in northeastern Illinois. The original one-room log schoolhouse was located at 493 South Main Street, Bourbonnais. In 2011, the original log schoolhouse was demolished, along with part of the house built around it, known until recently as the Marcotte House. In the course of demolition, 60% of the original logs were removed and stored; they will be used for this project. The log schoolhouse will be rebuilt on the Adrien M. Richard Heritage Preserve, just west of the Letourneau Home/Museum in Bourbonnais.

The Village of Bourbonnais Today

The Village of Bourbonnais is a growing community of more than 18,000 residents. The home of George Letourneau, the inaugural Mayor of Bourbonnais, now houses the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society, which works to preserve the history and French-Canadian heritage of the village.