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HISTORY
The Bonin House (a.k.a. The Bienvenue House) is a two story frame residence
featuring elements of the Greek Revival, Italianate, and Colonial Revival styles.
Developed in 3 stages, it achieved most of its present appearance in the early
twentieth century. The present single story rear wing appears to be a circa 1950
replacement of an earlier single story rear wing. Other changes include the
installation of bathrooms and the sheathing of most of the exterior of the house in
vinyl siding. Despite these alterations, the house retains those qualities that
establish its architectural significance within the context of St. Martinville.
The Bonin House has a rather complicated architectural history. Its development
was determined using an early twentieth century photograph and a large number
of extant clues noted in a recent site inspection by a member of the staff of the
Division of Historic Preservation. Evidently the house began as a two story, four
bay, Greek Revival town residence in about 1850. The two story front gallery had
colossal posts with relatively plain capitals. The first floor consisted of an off
center hall with two rooms on each side and a staircase ascending toward the
rear to an almost identical plan on the second floor. On both the first and second
floors, the hall culminated on the facade with a large opening featuring transoms
and side lights.
Noteworthy surviving early features include a large number of door and window
surrounds and three aedicule style mantels upstairs. In addition, some of the
window surrounds feature decorative panels beneath. Another noteworthy
feature from the original period of construction is the set of massive sliphead
windows that provide access to the upper gallery.
In about 1875, the house was remodeled in the Italianate style. Large curvaceous
brackets were added to the tops of the gallery columns, along the eave of the rear
elevation, and along the side gables. Decorative trim was also placed between the
gallery columns on both stories. In addition, each of the side gables was fitted
with a triple arch window. Finally, richly turned balustrades were added to the
upper gallery. Surviving features from this period include the curvaceous
brackets on the rear elevation and the side gables, the triple arch window on each
side elevation, and evidently the balustrade (see below for balustrade).
In about 1910, the house was again remodeled, this time in the Colonial Revival
style. This remodeling was far more extensive than the previous one. The floor
plan was made more open, reflecting the taste of the period. On both floors, the
front half of the hall was combined with the front room on the north side. This
created a new large entrance parlor downstairs and a larger bedroom upstairs.
The original staircase was removed. Evidently the parts were reused to construct
the present three flight, two landing staircase in the rear northern portion of the
house. Three of the rooms downstairs were fitted with standard Colonial Revival
mantel/over mantel sets with freestanding columns. The front south room
downstairs was fitted with a paneled alcove. In addition, the windows and window
openings were replaced in both the downstairs front rooms with the present
Colonial Revival window treatment. This consists of a pair of triple windows with
long vertical panes in the upper sashes and large single panes below. The house
also received a tile roof at this time and a small covered entrance at the rear of
the northern side elevation.
ACTIVITY
The home is most notorious for the 1890's murder of the homeowner and one of
her daughters. In 1886, the year of the murders, travelers knew this home as the
Evangeline Hotel. Innkeeper Isabell Robertson and her two daughters, one an
invalid, one a toddler, were home the night the killer broke in. Only the toddler
escaped alive. The double murder took place in the area now known as the
Evangeline Room.
Former owners reported hearing the older girl, who was bedridden, ring a bell for
help. The former owner was quoted by once saying, "They would hear bells
ringing in the night." Once previous guest had also reported that small objects
moved in the room where the girl died. When the home was being renovated,
workers' radios turned on and off without visible cause. Another common activity
reported both by neighbors and the previous homeowner is that the interior lights
would appear to come on and off on their own.
INVESTIGATION
We were extremely excited to investigate the Bienvenue House, as it had been in
the works for nearly a year! Last June, I was contacted by the new owner, Jill
Kuhn, who was still living in Seattle, yet purchased the Bienvenue House. Hearing
all the stories of paranormal activity, she was very curious to have us offer
whatever assistance we could by investigate the historic home.
In a rare case, we were accompanied by four different media groups during this
investigation. A special thanks to the Teche News, Times of Acadiana, Acadiana
Lifestyle Magazine, and the "UnConventional" television program based out of
Opelousas!!
We arrived very early to speak with the various media groups and were
immediately greeted by the extremely kind and gracious homeowner, Jill, with a
great meal and overnight accommodations. We cannot thank her enough for such
hospitality!
Unlike many cases, we were able to really take our time, going through the home
to find the most suitable camera placements. Taking base EMF readings, we
found many spots of increased EMF energy, which was due to the older wiring in a
home; a problem often had when investigating homes of this age.
We finally went "lights out" around 10pm, going through the usual methods of
investigating. During the night, no substantial evidence nor experiences were
obtained, yet in many cases, this does not mean the night was uneventful. Lots of
times, it may not be until we start reviewing evidence, when we actually find
questionable activity. I often say this to disappointed client when we leave for the
night, with no first hand experiences. Fortunately, this night may have proved to be
one of those incidents.
After reviewing the hours of audio and video, we captured several audio clips that
are definitely on the questionable side. One particular clip ("Bienevenue Voice"),
you will hear a very distinct voice of a young female. What was captured was
what sounds like the female saying, "Gette Pas", which is Creole French for
"Don't Look". I was very interested when I heard this because I have often
conducted EVP work in French, being that before the mid 1950's, French was the
primary language of central/southern Louisiana. This is the first case where we
actually capture a voice appearing to be in French.
Another interesting clip is while Brandon and I were in the Evangeline Room. You
will hear Brandon ask me, "Are you ready to go downstairs?" After I say, "yes",
you will hear a whisper saying, "no". The other clips below are all questionable
audio clips where we will allow you to make your own conclusions as to what is
being said, or whether it is an explainable sound.
Overall, I feel the night was went extremely well. With the possibility of potential
paranormal evidence possibly being captured that night, I definitely feel that the
Bienvenue House warrants a follow-up investigation in the very near future.
Hopefully when we return, we can add even more evidence to what has already
been captured. As we have said many times, it takes a lot for us to label an area
as "haunted"/"active". We tend to wish to stay on the politically correct side by
saying that the home definitely showed proof of questionable events and we plan
on returning to only strengthen our findings. Again, thanks to Jill, including
attending friends, and the media organizations previously mentioned for such a
great and successful outing.
The Bonin House (a.k.a. The Bienvenue House) is a two story frame residence
featuring elements of the Greek Revival, Italianate, and Colonial Revival styles.
Developed in 3 stages, it achieved most of its present appearance in the early
twentieth century. The present single story rear wing appears to be a circa 1950
replacement of an earlier single story rear wing. Other changes include the
installation of bathrooms and the sheathing of most of the exterior of the house in
vinyl siding. Despite these alterations, the house retains those qualities that
establish its architectural significance within the context of St. Martinville.
The Bonin House has a rather complicated architectural history. Its development
was determined using an early twentieth century photograph and a large number
of extant clues noted in a recent site inspection by a member of the staff of the
Division of Historic Preservation. Evidently the house began as a two story, four
bay, Greek Revival town residence in about 1850. The two story front gallery had
colossal posts with relatively plain capitals. The first floor consisted of an off
center hall with two rooms on each side and a staircase ascending toward the
rear to an almost identical plan on the second floor. On both the first and second
floors, the hall culminated on the facade with a large opening featuring transoms
and side lights.
Noteworthy surviving early features include a large number of door and window
surrounds and three aedicule style mantels upstairs. In addition, some of the
window surrounds feature decorative panels beneath. Another noteworthy
feature from the original period of construction is the set of massive sliphead
windows that provide access to the upper gallery.
In about 1875, the house was remodeled in the Italianate style. Large curvaceous
brackets were added to the tops of the gallery columns, along the eave of the rear
elevation, and along the side gables. Decorative trim was also placed between the
gallery columns on both stories. In addition, each of the side gables was fitted
with a triple arch window. Finally, richly turned balustrades were added to the
upper gallery. Surviving features from this period include the curvaceous
brackets on the rear elevation and the side gables, the triple arch window on each
side elevation, and evidently the balustrade (see below for balustrade).
In about 1910, the house was again remodeled, this time in the Colonial Revival
style. This remodeling was far more extensive than the previous one. The floor
plan was made more open, reflecting the taste of the period. On both floors, the
front half of the hall was combined with the front room on the north side. This
created a new large entrance parlor downstairs and a larger bedroom upstairs.
The original staircase was removed. Evidently the parts were reused to construct
the present three flight, two landing staircase in the rear northern portion of the
house. Three of the rooms downstairs were fitted with standard Colonial Revival
mantel/over mantel sets with freestanding columns. The front south room
downstairs was fitted with a paneled alcove. In addition, the windows and window
openings were replaced in both the downstairs front rooms with the present
Colonial Revival window treatment. This consists of a pair of triple windows with
long vertical panes in the upper sashes and large single panes below. The house
also received a tile roof at this time and a small covered entrance at the rear of
the northern side elevation.
ACTIVITY
The home is most notorious for the 1890's murder of the homeowner and one of
her daughters. In 1886, the year of the murders, travelers knew this home as the
Evangeline Hotel. Innkeeper Isabell Robertson and her two daughters, one an
invalid, one a toddler, were home the night the killer broke in. Only the toddler
escaped alive. The double murder took place in the area now known as the
Evangeline Room.
Former owners reported hearing the older girl, who was bedridden, ring a bell for
help. The former owner was quoted by once saying, "They would hear bells
ringing in the night." Once previous guest had also reported that small objects
moved in the room where the girl died. When the home was being renovated,
workers' radios turned on and off without visible cause. Another common activity
reported both by neighbors and the previous homeowner is that the interior lights
would appear to come on and off on their own.
INVESTIGATION
We were extremely excited to investigate the Bienvenue House, as it had been in
the works for nearly a year! Last June, I was contacted by the new owner, Jill
Kuhn, who was still living in Seattle, yet purchased the Bienvenue House. Hearing
all the stories of paranormal activity, she was very curious to have us offer
whatever assistance we could by investigate the historic home.
In a rare case, we were accompanied by four different media groups during this
investigation. A special thanks to the Teche News, Times of Acadiana, Acadiana
Lifestyle Magazine, and the "UnConventional" television program based out of
Opelousas!!
We arrived very early to speak with the various media groups and were
immediately greeted by the extremely kind and gracious homeowner, Jill, with a
great meal and overnight accommodations. We cannot thank her enough for such
hospitality!
Unlike many cases, we were able to really take our time, going through the home
to find the most suitable camera placements. Taking base EMF readings, we
found many spots of increased EMF energy, which was due to the older wiring in a
home; a problem often had when investigating homes of this age.
We finally went "lights out" around 10pm, going through the usual methods of
investigating. During the night, no substantial evidence nor experiences were
obtained, yet in many cases, this does not mean the night was uneventful. Lots of
times, it may not be until we start reviewing evidence, when we actually find
questionable activity. I often say this to disappointed client when we leave for the
night, with no first hand experiences. Fortunately, this night may have proved to be
one of those incidents.
After reviewing the hours of audio and video, we captured several audio clips that
are definitely on the questionable side. One particular clip ("Bienevenue Voice"),
you will hear a very distinct voice of a young female. What was captured was
what sounds like the female saying, "Gette Pas", which is Creole French for
"Don't Look". I was very interested when I heard this because I have often
conducted EVP work in French, being that before the mid 1950's, French was the
primary language of central/southern Louisiana. This is the first case where we
actually capture a voice appearing to be in French.
Another interesting clip is while Brandon and I were in the Evangeline Room. You
will hear Brandon ask me, "Are you ready to go downstairs?" After I say, "yes",
you will hear a whisper saying, "no". The other clips below are all questionable
audio clips where we will allow you to make your own conclusions as to what is
being said, or whether it is an explainable sound.
Overall, I feel the night was went extremely well. With the possibility of potential
paranormal evidence possibly being captured that night, I definitely feel that the
Bienvenue House warrants a follow-up investigation in the very near future.
Hopefully when we return, we can add even more evidence to what has already
been captured. As we have said many times, it takes a lot for us to label an area
as "haunted"/"active". We tend to wish to stay on the politically correct side by
saying that the home definitely showed proof of questionable events and we plan
on returning to only strengthen our findings. Again, thanks to Jill, including
attending friends, and the media organizations previously mentioned for such a
great and successful outing.
1. Bienvenue Voice - Female voice saying what sounds like
"Gette Pas", French for "Don't Look".
2. Bienvenue No - A possible third voice with Brandon and I
in the Evangeline room.
3. Bienvenue Whisper - Unknown voice.
4. Unknown Noise 1
5. Unknown Noise 2
"Gette Pas", French for "Don't Look".
2. Bienvenue No - A possible third voice with Brandon and I
in the Evangeline room.
3. Bienvenue Whisper - Unknown voice.
4. Unknown Noise 1
5. Unknown Noise 2
The Evangeline Room Actual Murder Site Great false positive due to
an exposed shutter.
an exposed shutter.
