Acadian Village (Van Buren, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Acadian Historic Buildings
|
|
Museum shop (left) and Morneault House (right)
|
|
 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
|
|
| Nearest city | Van Buren, Maine |
|---|---|
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000062 |
| Added to NRHP | December 13, 1977 |
The Acadian Village is a special museum in Van Buren, Maine. It shows what life was like for Acadian people in the 1800s. The village has six old buildings, some are real 19th-century homes, and one is a new copy of an old church. These buildings help us learn about French-American history. The village is open every day from June to September. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
Exploring the Historic Buildings
The Acadian Village lets you step back in time. You can see how people lived and worked long ago. The museum has a visitor center, five old buildings, and a church.
Homes and Shops from the 1800s
Most of the buildings were built in the mid-1800s. They include three houses, a schoolhouse, and a blacksmith's shop. These buildings are made of wood. Some use "log construction," where logs are stacked to form walls. Others use "wood framing," which is like building a frame with wooden beams.
- The Morneault House is an example of a log house. You can see the logs inside. The outside is covered with wooden boards called clapboards. This house was once an early post office for the area.
- The Village Schoolhouse was built in 1875. It is made with wood framing and also has clapboards on the outside. This schoolhouse was moved from Hamlin, Maine and is thought to be the oldest school building in the region.
The Church and Visitor Center
The church at the village is a copy of an 18th-century Acadian church. It was built in 1976 using rough logs. The visitor center, also built in 1976, is made from split logs. All the buildings have sloped roofs, called gabled roofs, and are either one story or one and a half stories tall.
Why These Buildings Are Here
These historic buildings were not always in this exact spot. A group called L'Heritage Vivant moved them here from other places nearby. They wanted to save these buildings because they show the unique culture of the early French-American Acadians.
Acadian History in Maine
The Acadian people first settled in this area around the 1780s. Later, in the early 1800s, there was a disagreement over the border between Maine and New Brunswick. This was called the Aroostook War, but luckily, no fighting happened. When the border was finally decided in 1842 with the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, the Acadian community was split. Some Acadians lived in the United States, and others lived in Canada. The Acadian Village helps us remember their history and how they lived.
See also
