Musée Culturel du Mont-Carmel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | U.S. 1, Grand Isle, Maine |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1893 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000100 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1973 |
The Musée Culturel du Mont-Carmel (which means Cultural Museum of Mont-Carmel) is a cool museum about local history. You can find it on United States Route 1 in Grand Isle, Maine. This museum is inside an old building that used to be a church called Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. It's special because it's one of the few Acadian churches from the 1800s still standing in northern Maine. Because of its unique design, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
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The Church Building's Design
The museum is located right in the middle of Grand Isle village. It's a big building made of wood, shaped like a rectangle. The main part has a steep roof that comes to a point.
Cool Features of the Church
The front of the building is the most interesting part. It sticks out and has three sections. The two outer sections are tall, square towers. Each tower goes up two full floors. At the top, there's an open bell tower with eight fancy columns. These columns hold up a round, dome-shaped roof.
The middle section of the front has three double doors. Above each door, there's a half-round window. Most of the other windows on the building are narrow. They have rounded tops and often come in pairs.
History of the Church Building
The area around the Saint John River was settled by Acadians in the early 1800s. Back then, the border between Maine and New Brunswick wasn't decided yet. In 1842, the Webster-Ashburton Treaty set the river as the border. This split the Acadian community.
The Acadians on the Maine side asked for their own church. The first church was built in 1848. Later, in 1870, the church became part of the Diocese of Portland. The current building was finished in 1910. A person named Léonide Gagné built it. The inside of the church was designed by Théophile Daoust. It looked like an ancient Roman basilica.
The church closed in 1978 because it cost too much to keep up. For a few years, it was hard to fix or maintain the building. But in 1984, a non-profit group was started. This group bought the building and has carefully restored it.
What You Can See at the Museum
The old church now holds many items that tell the story of the Acadians in this area. It also hosts special cultural events. You can visit the museum between June 15 and Labor Day.
See also
