History
For the original owners, Mary Anne and RAJ (Bob) Phillips, the Grange was truly a labour of love. The Grange was a pioneer barn built in 1819. In the early 1970s, Bob and Mary Anne saved it from destruction on a farm near Carleton Place some 75 kilometres away in Ontario. They rebuilt it log-by-log as their retirement home on their property by the Gatineau River. They filled it with Canadiana antiques, and filled it with people from the myriad of associations and causes they supported, people from the local community, and friends from across Canada and around the world.
Origins of La Grange
After Mary Anne died in 1990, Bob continued their traditions in the Grange until disaster struck in 1992: the Grange caught fire and burned. The log walls survived, although charred, and only some small sections were intact. But Bob – by this time a septuagenarian – decided to once again give the Grange a new re-birth, so he re-built it and rescued and restored what contents he could.
Disaster
La Grange Today
After Bob Phillips died at the age of 81 in 2003, it seemed that this labour of love and such a piece of Canadian heritage must be saved for future generations. With a history of reincarnations like the Grange’s, the Phillips survivors set out to let it live again. Brigid Phillips Janssen established La Grange de la Gatineau to open it to the public so that many people could appreciate the history and lovely natural setting that is La Grange de la Gatineau. Brigid and her husband Rod use La Grange de la Gatineau to support causes that they and the Phillips family have always valued.
For the full history of La Grange de la Gatineau, please click here.