Musée Laurier — Wilfrid-Laurier House National Historic Site

Built in 1876-1877 according to the plans of architect Louis Caron Sr. to meet the requirements of Wilfrid Laurier, then a young lawyer established in Arthabaska, this red-brick Italianate-style residence became the primary home of Laurier and his wife Zoé Lafontaine for twenty years, until their departure for Ottawa in 1897 following his election as Prime Minister of Canada — the first French-Canadian to hold this position and the one who served longest in the country's history, from 1896 to 1911. Though he relocated his primary residence, Laurier maintained a deep attachment to this house, returning regularly during summers and holiday periods until his death in 1919, and renting it during his absences to Superior Court Judge Camille Pouliot, whose large family prompted expansions in 1914 that Laurier accepted without much enthusiasm. After the couple's death, the property was bequeathed to their niece Pauline Laurier-Harvey before being purchased in 1928 by two Montreal businessmen who handed it over to the Quebec government on the express condition that a museum be established there — opening its doors in 1929 and becoming a provincial museum in 1934. Today designated a National Historic Site of Canada, the house allows visitors to discover Laurier's reconstructed living room, dining room, and study, furnished with personal objects belonging to the couple, offering an intimate glimpse into the private life of this statesman whose political legacy remains central to Canadian history.