Heritage Tree: Windsor's Rare Pear

Location: Maison François Baby House, Windsor, across Pitt Street from the Pitt-Ferry site.

Forests Ontario and the Ontario Urban Forest Council maintain a Heritage Tree database for Ontario. With summer approaching we understand the urge to sightsee. However, because of the pandemic, we encourage you to virtually tour our Heritage Trees by visiting the links on our blog posts.

By Joana Carreira and Sadia Butt

A pear tree grows in Windsor in the yard of the Maison François Baby House (est. 1812), a designated National Historic Site. The house and the tree, known as the Jesuit Pear Tree, share a dramatic past. François Baby, a notable local politician, built the house on a French-Canadian ribbon farm known as La Ferme (The Farm). During the War of 1812, both American and British forces used the property as headquarters, and on December 4, 1838, the adversaries fought part of the Battle of Windsor in its orchard. The family abandoned the house circa 1931, during the Great Depression; in 1950, the federal Ministry of Environment designated it as a National Historic Site; on May 7, 1958, it reopened as a museum. Today, the house belongs to the Windsor Historic Sites Association.

In June 1749, Charles Chauvin, a Jesuit Missionary from France, planted 12 pear trees near the Maison François Baby House. Each tree represented one of the Apostles of Christ. These trees came to symbolize the Francophone heritage in what are now the Detroit and Windsor regions. Graftings from those original trees provided the current sapling planted at the northwestern corner of the house's Peace Garden, which honours 200 years of peace since the War of 1812. The Parks Department of the City of Windsor and the Museum Volunteer Group manage and maintain the trees.

What we now call Jesuit Pear trees grow today on either side of the Detroit River. The Jesuit Pear bears fruit in August, sold at local farmers markets or fairs. However, along with urban growth, some features of the tree itself conspire to threaten it. The pear tree can grow up to 12m in height, making fruit collection difficult. The pears the tree produces, although delicious, do not conform to the shape, size and taste that Ontario consumers expect. Consequentially, the Jesuit Pear Tree is not a prime variety for preservation.

Forests Ontario and Ontario Urban Forest Council designated the Jesuit Pear Tree a Heritage Tree in March 2017. You can read more about it here.

Ancient Jesuit Pear Trees – City of Windsor
Jesuit Pear Tree HT – FO