Musee St. Joseph

Mission Statement

Musée St-Joseph Museum Inc. was established to preserve the history and culture for the Rural Municipality of Montcalm for the enjoyment of the residents and of the visitors to the area.

Museum Description

The CDC Vision in its 2000 report mentions that the Musée St-Joseph Museum Inc. is a major attraction in the Montcalm region. The museum collects, preserves, researches, exhibits and interprets artefacts relating to the early agricultural settlement and development for the rural Municipality of Montcalm from 1880 to the present with emphasis on the period from 1880 to 1930. The collections include agricultural, History, society, military, religious, nature, sports and leisure. Group tours can be made by appointment for special occasions. Guided tours are available during the summer months.

Museum’s Beginning & History

The Musée St-Joseph Museum Inc. has its beginnings shortly after the 1948 and 1959 floods. Jean-Louis Perron, a local carpenter would travel to St-Jean-Baptiste to make repairs to buildings that had been flooded. At this time, he became fascinated with the objects that the people were throwing away. He started to collect old lamps, chairs, tables, lanterns and radios. He wanted to make his own private museum. The 1950 flood helped him greatly increase his collections. When there was no more room in the house, he started building sheds in his yard. Once these buildings were full, he approached the provincial government to see if they could help. He needed the support of the local municipality which was readily given and there was to be no other museum in the municipality. At first the museum consisted of three buildings : the Moquin House (1975), the Blacksmith Shop and a new building called the Display Building (1976). The official opening was made to coincide with the centennial of St-Joseph in 1977. Since, the museum has acquired other buildings : Perron House (1977), Union Point School (1982), a General Store (1984) as well as buildings for agricultural machinery. In January 2003, at a special meeting, Jean-Louis and Marie-Laure Perron and their family transferred the private collection to the Museum.