At the museum is a Canadian National Historic Event plaque which affords a glimpse into what the Ten Acadian National Conventions were about. The conventions took place over a period of fifty six years, from 1881 to 1937, the first being held
in Memramcook, New Brunswick. The second of the ten conventions was held in this very town. It was at this convention in Miscouche that the Acadian Flag (to the right) and their anthem,
Ave Maris Stella, were adopted. It was very likely the fact the second convention was held here that the town of Miscouche was chosen to be the site of the Acadian Museum.
The Association du Musée acadien incorporée was founded January 26, 1964. That spring a log building was constructed to house the beginning of the museum and on August 25, 1964 it was officially opened. In 1984 the cataloguing of artifacts began, funded by Employment and Immigration Canada, and the next year, 1985, the first permanent exhibit on the Island Acadians was opened to the public.
In 1988 fundraising began for the construction of a new building and on October 3, 1990 construction of the new Acadian Museum was under way, with Federal-Provincial funding. On July 22, 1991 the new building welcomed its first visitors, but it was not until April 24, 1992 that the official opening took place. On April 1, 1996 the Acadian Museum became part of the
Prince Edward Island Museum & Heritage Foundation.
The focus of history museums is to impart history, whether it be local history, the history of bathtubs or the history of the cosmos. Many museums have found that a well received adjunct to static, non-interactive displays is a type of live performance which imparts history as part of a lecture, a story, a movie or documentary. A very popular event at Miscouche's Acadian Museum has been "Tuesday Talks", a series of talks by local historians or knowledgeable residents. The series has been so popular that, in 2017, it entered its thirteenth year with a slate of six speakers lined up for the season. The talks took place at the museum each Tuesday from July 4th to August 8th. A news story on the series, from the Summerside Journal Pioneer, is reprinted below.
Tuesday Talks begin July 4
at Acadian Museum in Miscouche
The Journal Pioneer | June 29, 2017, midnight
MISCOUCHE, P.E.I. – The 13th edition of the popular Tuesday Talks at the Acadian Museum, in Miscouche, will begin on July 4 and will run until Aug. 8.
Three of the presentations will be given in French and three in English.
The opening talk in French on July 4 will focus on Dr. Raymond Reid and his wife, nurse Bernice Reid, from Wellington, who contributed to the well-being of their community for 40 years. Their daughters Claudette Arsenault and Cheryl Doucette as well as their nephew Jean-Paul Arsenault will share their memories of this exceptional couple.
The talk in English on July 11 will bring together Julia Albert, Armand DesRoches, and Cliff Poirier for a presentation entitled “Remembering Miscouche of Bygone Days.” The parish of Miscouche is celebrating its bicentennial this year. A special exhibit is presently featured at the Acadian Museum marking this important anniversary.
Georges Arsenault will be the guest speaker, in French, on July 18. His talk will focus on the 1899-1906 diary of Céline (à Ben Frank) Arsenault from Urbainville in which she documents the comings and goings on the family farm and in the community. The talk will be illustrated with vintage photos from the family collection.
“The DesRoches: An Acadian Pioneer Family on the Island” is the title of the July 25 talk in English by historian Georges Arsenault. The ancestors of the DesRoches were two brothers from Normandy, France, who came to the Island as fishermen in the early 1730s and married into the Arsenault family settled on the western shore of Malpeque Bay.
On Aug. 1, historian Sally Ross, from Tantallon, N.S., will give an illustrated talk in French on Acadian cemeteries. She will discuss the religious, cultural and historical heritage of these resting places in the Maritimes.
To mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the talks series will come to a close on Aug. 8 with a lecture titled “Potholes, Roadblocks and Dangerous Curves: Prince Edward Island and the Road to Confederation.” It will be given in English by Island historian, Ed MacDonald.
The talks start at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Refreshments will be served.
The Acadian Museum of P.E.I. is located in Miscouche on Route 2.
From the Summerside Journal Pioneer