The history of the house

The post office and general store of Val-Morin

This majestic building, situated by the Lake Raymond and the railway le P'tit Train du Nord, was constructed in 1908 by Mr. Fidèle Ouellette. Mr. Ouellette, a blacksmith and a handyman, worked in the prison at Saint-Vincent de Paul in Laval. At the time, Mr. Ouellette had in mind to operate a hotel in his new house. That was until he met Miss Corinne Filliatreault of Sainte-Rose in Laval. This nice young lady, who was to become his wife, did not want to operate or live in a hotel. Mr. Ouellette had to choose between the hotel and Miss Filliatreault. They were wedded shortly after and this magnificent house had another destiny waiting.

Mr. Fidèle Ouellette had contacts in the upper sphere of the political world. He used these contacts to get a post office concession in his big house. He also transformed the entrance and the actual living room into a general store. Those were very noble functions for this beautiful house.

Between 1910 and 1914, Mr. Ouellette built a big garage behind the house so he could pursue his trade of blacksmith. The exterior of the house was renovated at that time and has remained unchanged since then.

Mr. Ouellette was a gentleman well respected in the village. He was a founder of the Saint-Norbert parish in Val-Morin. He occupied the position of beadle for a while. He was the second mayor of Val-Morin. He built many residences in the region; some are still standing today.

During the 1920s, Mr. Ouellette decided to change trade and take a course in automobile mechanic and electricity. He transformed his blacksmith shop into a garage. It is one of the first automobile garages in the region. Some of Mr. Ouellette's equipment are still in the garage and functional.

In the 1940s, Mr. Ouellette sells his house and businesses to his two daughters, Monique and Félicité, who had just married two brothers from Val-Morin, Paul and Lucien Lepage. Paul and Lucien were the sons of the master postman of the village. The two couples operated the general store and the post office till 1983.

In 1996, Alain Guénette and Françoise Racet bought the house from the couple Félicité and Lucien Lepage, and Pauline, the daughter of Monique and Paul, who had died since 1983. Alain and Françoise, with the help of their family, restored and renovated the house to give it its predestined function, an Inn.

In May 2003, Jacqueline Gaudet and Jules Chiasson became the new owners of the Inn Les Jardins de la Gare.