Musée québécois de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation facts for kids

The Musée québécois de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation is a special museum in La Pocatière, Quebec, Canada. It used to be called the Musée François-Pilote. This museum teaches visitors all about the history of farming and food in Quebec. It has many different collections and displays, especially focusing on how people learned about agriculture over the years.

What is the Museum About?

Exploring Quebec's Farming History

The museum is named after l'Abbé François Pilote. He started the very first permanent school for farming in Canada. This school was also the second one in North America! The museum proudly shows off the tools and equipment used throughout the history of this important school.

Discovering the Museum Floors

The museum has several floors, each with exciting exhibits. Let's take a tour from the top down!

Top Floor: Learning About Agriculture

The fourth and top floor is all about the history of agricultural education. You can see how students learned to farm and what tools they used. This floor also has a cool display of birds. These birds were preserved by a bird expert named Antoine Tanguay.

Third Floor: Homes from the Past

On the third floor, you can step back in time! This floor shows what homes in Quebec looked like in the early 1900s. You can see fancy rooms from a wealthy family's house. There are also rooms from a successful farmer's home, with real furniture from his estate. Imagine what it was like to live back then!

This floor also shows other important places from the past. You can see a classroom from a rural school, a country store, and even an eye doctor's office. There are also offices for a church priest, a lawyer (notary), a doctor, and a dentist. It's like a whole village from the early 1900s!

You can also learn about l'Abbé Maurice Proulx on this floor. He was a pioneer in Quebec cinema, meaning he was one of the first people to make movies there. He also taught at the School of Agriculture.

Second Floor: Animals and Special Exhibits

The second floor is home to the animals of the region. You can learn about the different creatures that live in Quebec. This floor also has a special visiting exhibition. This exhibit changes every year, so there's always something new to see!

First Floor: Maple Syrup and More

Finally, on the first floor, you can learn about how maple syrup is made. Quebec is famous for its maple syrup! There are also displays of tools used for different crafts practiced in the region. You can see how people made things by hand. The first floor also shows different ways people traveled long ago and examples of old farming machines.