Joseph Thériault, born in 1824, is the son of Joachim and Claire Gauvin. As the eldest son, it was difficult for him to inherit the family estate. A farmer and lumber merchant, he married Phoébée Boudreau in 1845 and settled in Thériault Office. They had nine children. Following Phoebe’s death, Joseph married Rachel Landry in 1861. With his second wife, he had no children.

According to oral tradition, Joseph built his first house near the present-day crossroads. It was only later, around 1860, that he built the house that now stands at the Village historique acadien.

Joseph Thériault received title to 100 acres of land on October 1, 1857. It’s quite reasonable to think that it was after receiving this land that Joseph set about building the house, especially since he remarried Rachel Landry in 1861. Founder or not of Thériault Office, Joseph Thériault and his family nonetheless gave their name to this small village.

Philias, Joseph’s son, is heir to the family estate. He lived with his father, then, following his father’s death, became the true owner. Philias married Lucille Chenard of Caraquet in 1881. This marriage produced ten children. In his will, dated March 15, 1946, eight years before his death in 1952, Philias bequeathed his property to his daughter Lauza. Lauza lived in the house with her husband Fidèle Landry until 1977, when it was purchased by the Village historique acadien in 1981.

When the Village historique acadien acquired the house, it bought only the part built in 1860. The second part remained on site. On the historic site, the Thériault house is interpreted as having been built in 1890, 30 years after the first section. It can be seen that the house has two parts, the original 1860 and the summer kitchen, added to the building a few years later.

The furniture in these rooms was no longer home-made, but a blend of home and industrial production. By the end of the 19th century, industrially manufactured furniture was slowly making Acadian furniture disappear.

• Indoor well
• Gallery on two sides
• Two staircases leading to the upper floor
• Clapboard siding
• Exhibition presence
• Three chimneys