The Role and Mission of the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve

Established in 1967, the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Inc. was created to insure the protection of the town's historic resources. While preservation of the community's historic properties is its primary goal, the organization also actively promotes interest in Ste. Genevieve's history.

The Foundation charter provides it with a mandate to "acquire and communicate knowledge of the early settlement...for the purpose of perpetuating and cherishing the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved the early colonization and settlement of the Mississippi River and established Ste. Genevieve City and County and its surrounding area." For more than a quarter century, the Foundation has pursued that goal.

Generally the Foundation has not attempted to accomplish its ends through direct property ownership. However, under its charter, it does have authority to purchase and own real and personal historic properties that illustrate the settlement's early history, and to "restore, preserve, recreate and reproduce such old homes and other structures, ships, books, maps, letters, and other documents, antiques, and other museum pieces for the purpose...of creating an historical center."

In keeping with that mandate, the Foundation owns one historic property--the Guibourd-Vallé House--which operates as a museum open to the public. It was instrumental in securing the return of valuable archival materials to the town and has assisted in the preservation of the historic Memorial Cemetery and the Old Academy building (1808). In addition, the Foundation has sponsored international educational conferences and has stimulated world-wide publicity for Ste. Genevieve. In recognition of those efforts, the organization was honored with the National Award of Merit by the American Association for State and Local History.

The Foundation also maintains a permanent exhibit at Ste. Genevieve's Great River Road Interpretive Center.

The Foundation's long term goals include creation of "an historic educational shrine to promote on the part of present and future generations, a great interest in the history of the formative period of our nation, state, County and City of Ste. Genevieve, and the Mississippi River area."