Ville-Marie is the oldest municipality in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. Its history is closely bound up with that of Brother Joseph Moffet, an Oblate missionary, who arrived at the Saint-Claude Mission on the shores of Lake Timiskaming in 1872. In 1874, he secretly cleared and cultivated a plot of land located five km north of the mission, at the present site of Ville-Marie. Faced with the success of his undertaking, his superiors granted him authorization a few years later to establish a farm there. A house was built in 1881 followed by a barn one year later. Shortly thereafter, families came to settle around the farm. And thus, Ville-Marie was founded.

Brother Moffet's home is one of the oldest houses still standing in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. This modest dovetail-construction wooden house, 6 by 6 meters, is a unique testament to the earliest days of settlement in the area. The Maison du Frère-Moffet was classified as an historic monument by the Québec government in 1978.

Photos:
1. Maison du Frère-Moffet. Coll. Société d'hitoire du Témiscamingue.
2. Brother Joseph Moffet O.M.I., 1852-1932. Coll. Société d'histoire du Témiscamingue.


Maison du Frère-Moffet
7, rue Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes
Ville-Marie
(819) 629-3533
mfm@lino.com
www.maisondufreremoffet.com

Duration: 1 h
Schedule: Mid-May to June24, on reservation only. June 24 thru Labor day, daily 10 am to 6 pm
After 6 pm, group reservation only
Rates:
$4/pers. ever 12 years old
2$/pers. 6 thru 11 years old
Free under 5 years old
10 pers. and over: $2/pers.