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University of Maine at Fort Kent

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Enrollment & Advancement Center • University of Maine at Fort Kent • 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, ME 04743

Architecture of Early Acadian Houses on display at Acadian Archives

June 28, 2013

Note: this is an archived news release. As such, the information provided may no longer apply.

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The travelling exhibition, From Board to Board: Architecture of Acadian Houses from Early Acadia until the 19th Century, a bilingual exhibition that showcases the Acadian tradition of construction that has been passed down through generations, is on display at the University of Maine at Fort Kent's Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes through the end of the year.

The 22-board exhibition includes well-researched and well-illustrated display panels on Acadian architecture, including the Laurent Cyr house from St. Basile, New Brunswick, which was built in the 1850s. The exhibition is on loan from the Musée acadien de l'Université de Moncton.

Different construction types found in Acadia are illustrated, such as log, timber-framed, torchis, and plank construction. The typical evolution of an Acadian house, with its addition of dormers and an ell, also is shown. In addition, the exhibition presents a comparison of Acadian houses with those of the Louisiana Cajuns, the Québecois, and the Anglo-Americans.

The exhibition is enriched with a display of woodworking tools from the Archive's own special collections, and from St. John Valley residents Brian Theriault and Don Cyr. Anne Chamberland, Sue Pelletier, Willy Monthe, and Acadian Archives Director, Lise Pelletier, researched the names and uses of various woodworking tools, such as planes, saws, broad axes, crooked knives, wedges, mallets, and other pieces of architecture dating back to the early settlement of the Madawaska Territory. Of particular interest are a Ship's Knee (Québec origin) and a squared log with dove tail.

From Board to Board will be on display at the Acadian Archives, located on the UMFK campus through December 23. The Archives is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Archives are located at the end of the small parking lot to the right of Blake Library.

For further information about the From Board to Board exhibition, please contact the Acadian Archives at 834-7535.