Le Musée des Pionniers

DEVELOPMENT OF MUSÉE DES PIONNIERS 

The museum was founded in 1988 in answer to the demand of the people who wanted a place to preserve their artefacts. The chapel was a project of the Bicentennial festivities made in souvenir of the chapel built here in 1788. Artefacts from former churches and from the parishioners reveal that their religious life included numerous feasts and religious organisations.

       In 2000, the village school that had opened in 1880 and served the children for 75 years, was hauled on site and renovated. The original blackboards are visible – ingeniosity - the plastered wall which was painted black or later on, a section of boards painted black and the narrow entrance used as cloakroom are a part of the heritage building donated for a museum by Rodrigue Gallant and wife Joanne Cormier.

In 2006, to recall the time of the transport by horse, a section of a long barn became a part of the museum, donated by the Poirier family (Leandre and Rachelle). It once served to shelter the horses during the religious ceremonies at the church. Most of the objects displayed are a reminder that not only to transport but also to function the farm machines, a strenght greater than man power was needed - the horse was needed.  

  

Grande-Digue, being a fishermen’s village, a wharf and a lighthouse were built as early as 1912. This lighthouse was installed here in 2007 as a heritage building to keep in mind that the pioneers also needed fish and their boats needed guidance at night. The building was donated by Jacques Dufour and Edna à Hervé Richard.

All these heritage buildings were renovated with the great help of the Government projects and the numerous hours of labour done by the volunteers.