Mainland residents open francophone museum

Even though it’s a relatively small building, much of Mainland’s history and culture has been witnessed within its walls.

From multiple generations of children learning how to read and write, to hosting religious services, local elections, fishermen’s meetings, social gatherings and the like – the schoolhouse has played an important role in the lives of the community’s residents.

And thanks to a trio of ladies – Sherisse Benoit, and sisters Ivy Collier and Margaret Cornect – the building has gone from near demise in recent years to a complete overhaul and a new beginning as a museum.

“What’s so special for us is that we’re francophone,” said Ms. Benoit, of many Mainland families. “And we wanted to tell the story of our francophone history and culture.”

She explained that several generations back, French fishermen and their families lived on Red Island, just offshore from Mainland. These families eventually made their way across the water to settle in the area, also known as La Grand Terre.

“We have it documented to 1910, but some residents believe it to be older,” said Ms. Benoit of the schoolhouse. “The elder members of the community can remember their parents saying it was much older than that.”

Decommissioned

The schoolhouse was closed in 1972 and the building re-opened two years later as a chapel. It operated as such until 1999, when a new church was built and the building was put up for tender by the local diocese.

The building was sold to resident Etienne (Stephen) Woods. It was around that time residents Maggie Benoit, Sherisse’s mother, and Johanna Cornect, Ivy and Margaret’s mother, talked about conserving the building for posterity.

“At home, they were sad to see it going and wondered what could be done to save it,” said Ms. Cornect, whose family home is across the street from the schoolhouse.

“We started talking to each other about what our mothers wanted,” she added. “But the building was falling down and we were wondering what we could do with it.”

The ladies formed the Mainland Heritage Committee in 2000 and purchased the building from Mr. Woods.

They didn’t want to burden the community with fundraising, so they applied to ARCO, a francophone association, for funding to save the structure. They leased the building to ARCO for 100 years, with the hope that the association would undertake much needed renovations.

“But we weren’t like Joey Smallwood,” said Ms. Cornect, with a wry laugh. “We put a clause in so that we could take it back. We put it in writing that if they couldn’t do anything with it, we could claim the building back.”

Over the next few years, Ms. Benoit said the building remained in hard shape.

“It was ready to fall,” she said. “So, in 2006, the committee took back the building. … All we wanted was for the building to be restored and not have the dreams of our mothers lost.”

The ladies knew it was time to ask the community for help.

“We started with our first fundraiser, it was a bike-athon,” said Ms. Benoit, adding the ride took all of five minutes in each direction.

We have it documented to 1910, but some residents believe it to be older. - Sherisse Benoit

But local residents rallied and that first fundraiser raised $1,200 in aid of the schoolhouse. And by early 2010, the committee had raised in excess of $100,000 and renovations were underway.

Ms. Benoit said new windows were custom-made to resemble how they looked almost 100 years ago. And while many other renovations were completed, she noted as much of the original building was kept intact as possible.

Volunteers from the community added their support in whatever way they could, donating personal items for display or working into the early morning hours on various aspects of the renovations.

“Everything we’ve done, we had to work for,” noted Ms. Cornect. “But I’m glad we did it because it brought the people of the community together and it’s something for our children and their children.”

Once finished, the museum will be dedicated to the memory of Maggie Benoit and Johanna Cornect – and a special thanks going to Mr. Woods and Mabel Bungay, a teacher at the school who helped fight the resettlement program during the Smallwood administration by writing petitions to government.

“She saw the importance of having this schoolhouse in Mainland,” said Ms. Cornect, her sister. “By having it here, we were able to resist resettlement and keep our way of life.”

A look inside

Ms. Benoit said the museum is in two sections. One half of the building is a re-creation of how the interior of the schoolhouse looked in the 1950s – complete with a pot-bellied stove, wooden desks, and an altar for visiting clergy.

The other half houses hundreds of antiques and historically significant items donated by local residents. There is also a full-scale display of how a typical kitchen from a hundred years ago might have looked.

“We want visitors and schoolchildren who come here to experience what it was like to live here many years ago,” said Ms. Benoit.

Near the display is an area of special note, which Ms. Benoit said is an area dedicated to Anastacia ‘Nana’ Lainey, complete with her photograph and scrub board.

In both sections of the museum, there are areas where people can have personal and family photos posted. As well, residents are invited to keep bringing in items for display.

“People are starting to come in and they see what’s on display and they’re saying, ‘Oh, I have that,’ and they’re bringing in more and more items,” said Ms. Benoit.

The heritage committee doesn’t plan on resting anytime soon.

“We’re planning on going on with it, we don’t want to see it end here,” said Ms. Collier, of the museum. “We plan on having history boards and a bread oven on the grounds, and having a tea room built for visitors.”

The Sister’s Dream School Museum officially opens on July 17 at 4 p.m. with a special mass next to the building, followed by a tour of the facility and then a dinner and dance in the gymnasium of École Sainte-Anne. For more information, call 642-5361.