Acadian House Museum facts for kids

The Acadian House Museum is a special place in West Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia, Canada. It opened its doors in 1997. This museum is unique because it's both a living museum and an interpretive museum. This means you can see how people lived in the past and also learn about their history.

The museum has five buildings. Two of these buildings were originally on the land. The main house, called the Bellefontaine house, was built around 1850 by Joseph Bellefontaine. Over the years, seven different families owned the house. Many of them were from the Bellefontaine family. Eventually, a group called the West Chezzetcook & Grand Desert Community Interest Group bought it. They turned the house into the museum you can visit today.

The Story of the Acadian House

The Acadian House was built in 1850 by Joseph Bellefontaine. When he passed away in 1897, he left the house to his wife, Céleste Bellefontaine. Céleste then gave the house to her brothers, Georges and Oliver Bonnevie.

In 1919, Georges' daughter, Jenny, bought the house from her father and uncle. Jenny and her husband ran a small store from the side porch of the house. They kept the store open from 1919 until 1946. After that, Jenny passed the house to James Redmond, who was a distant relative.

Later, in 1960, Eugène Bellefontaine bought the house. He then passed it to his son, Benjamin Bellefontaine, in 1973. Finally, in 1997, the West Chezzetcook & Grand Desert Community Interest Group bought the house from Benjamin. They worked to turn it into a museum, which officially opened in 2000.

Exploring the Museum Site

The Acadian House Museum has three buildings where visitors can take tours.

The Gallery House

The "Gallery House" is where your visit begins. It introduces guests to the history of Chezzetcook. This building also has the gift shop. The Gallery House was not originally on this site. It was moved here from Grand Desert, Nova Scotia in 2000 to become part of the museum.

La Musée (The Museum)

"La Musée" is the main museum building. The first floor is decorated with items from the past, showing how people lived long ago. The second floor is used for storing artifacts and is not open to the public.

La Cabano (The Shed)

"La Cabano" means "The Shed." This building holds old tools and items related to farming, fishing, and raising animals. La Cabano is a copy of an old shed, built especially for the museum.

La Grange (The Barn)

"La Grange" means "The Barn." This building is mostly used for special events. It was built in 2005 to look like an old barn from the past. However, it has modern features like heating, running water, and electricity.

La Cuisine de Brigitte (The Tearoom)

"La Cuisine de Brigitte" is also known as The Tearoom. It is a cafe that operates separately from the museum. The Tearoom serves traditional Acadian food. It often provides food for events held at the museum.

Inside the Museum

Not many changes have been made to the main house since it was bought in 1997. The upstairs part of the house, which was not finished before, was completed to store historical items. The ceilings and floors have also been updated. All these changes were made with advice from experts and local historians. Luckily, the original layout of the house has stayed the same.

The museum is a mix of a living museum and an interpretive museum. The main house itself is the living part. A lot of careful research went into making the kitchen and pantry look exactly like they would have in the 1850s. The back part of the museum has a recreated parlor and master bedroom. The last room holds different temporary exhibits. For example, in 2020, there was an exhibit of old clothing.

The interpretive part of the museum is in the Gallery. Here, visitors can explore rooms about local industries and family history. The upstairs of the Gallery has religious items, mostly from the local church, St. Anselm's.

The museum often hires local students who can speak both English and French. These students work as tour guides during the summer.

Fun Seasonal Events

The museum's regular season is usually from July to August. However, it hosts many local events throughout the year.

Summer Celebrations

During the summer, the museum often holds an open house. They also celebrate Canada Day and the Feast of Assumption. Day camps for children are also held in the summer. These camps focus on teaching the French language and local history.

Fall and Winter Fun

In the fall and winter, the museum hosts Halloween, Christmas, and New Year celebrations. Most events at the museum include live music from local artists. You can also see demonstrations of butter-making, clam-shelling, and outdoor oven-baking. Free museum tours are often part of these events too.