Early Montegut history

The house we call Montegut had a long history before a Dargeles called it home.  Montegut has been farmed since the 1600's when the original house was less than 1/4 of the current barn size!

According to family lore, the existing house was built in the early 1800s in the quintessential Gascon farmhouse. It began as a single large room, approximately 18' x 18' or about 6 square meters. The room originally served as the kitchen/dining area as well as the sleeping area. An enormous fireplace nearly 2.5 meters square kept the family warm in the freezing, damp winters.  The fireplace's right is a hand-carved stone sink from a single piece of local granite with a small drain hole. Water was efficiently directed through the outside wall to the kitchen garden area. Where it was collected to water the kitchen garden. Handcrafted from local fruitwood cabinets were added much later.

 In many of the Gascony history books, you will see photos of elderly family members sitting on a short-legged chair almost inside the fireplace.

The following photos were taken in early 2007 before we began the slow renovation.

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Fast forward another generation or two, the house has been enlarged to include a large chamber or bedroom.  Next came a large addition to the back of the house. a second full story was added to the house.  There were four large rooms with an elegant Oak and Walut staircase and beautifully carved solid pecan doors at the entry to the bedrooms. Montegut made another major change in the 1960s when indoor plumbing was added.

There is some speculation that these carved doors look suspiciously like the oldest doors at a nearby Abbey which is currently being renovated after years of decline.

And if you have, thanks for reading

Au Revoir!