There are museums that transport you instantly, from the very first moment, into the history they were created to tell. When you enter the reception pavilion of the Maritime Museum of Charlevoix, founded in 1981, you immediately feel this unique sensation, even before being immersed in the treasures it holds.
Located in Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, now part of the village of Les Éboulements, a few steps from the ferry wharf to Isle aux Coudres, this museum brings to life the rich history of wooden schooner shipyards in Charlevoix.
Despite a violent fire that destroyed the three boats preserved up to that point in 1998, those involved did not give up.
Through donations and purchases, the schooners Jean-Yvan and Saint-André, as well as the fishing schooner Marie Clarisse, were acquired and became the new witnesses to the permanent exhibition dedicated to the famous "water cars," which were the subject of a cult film from the National Film Board (NFB), directed by the late filmmaker Pierre Perrault.
From shipyard closure to museum
In 1973, the Chantiers maritimes de Charlevoix, in Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, a company dedicated to the wintering and maintenance of schooners since 1946, closed its doors. The last seaworthy schooners were sold and set sail for the Caribbean Sea in 1978. Those that remained were deliberately beached on the region's shores to die there gently. It is said that 28 schooners were built there, with a staff of 25. A page of history had thus just turned…
A few years later, residents of Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive introduced the public to the remarkable story of the wooden schooners and the craftsmen who built so many boats on the shores of the village's bay. Thus, in 1981, a maritime exhibition was set up in the municipality's former school. Then, in 1985, Joseph-Arthur Zélada (JAZ) Desgagnés, of the famous family of shipowners, now owners of the shipyard, agreed to the development of the site into an interpretation centre dedicated to wooden schooners and the maritime heritage of Charlevoix. The three schooners aging there regained their former glory and became the vestiges of a life that will never return.
The site of the Maritime Museum of Charlevoix was soon designated a "historic site" by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1998. It is believed that more than 600 boats were built in the area between 1791 and 1959.
Curiously, it was Martin Desgagnés, a direct descendant of the Desgagnés family and passionate about history, who served as our guide for the visit to the museum on a beautiful Sunday in July 2023.
Martin Desgagnés, guide-interpreter, MMC
The Marine Forest and the Navigators' Park
In 2008, the Museum received a 40-hectare forest, a precious gift from a resident of Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive. Now called the Marine Forest, it is dedicated to the restoration of the so-called "boat forest" and developed in partnership with Université Laval. Since 2016, a spectacular 4-km trail runs through it.
After receiving a donation of 8.2 hectares (20 acres) of land adjacent to the former shipyard, the Museum began its redevelopment in 2015 with the Navigators' Park project. Navigators' Park allows the Museum to offer a 360° experience, from the forest to the river, encompassing both nature and culture. It adds to its offerings: exhibitions, a large park with a play area, an arboretum, an obstacle course, sculptures, a walking trail, picnic areas, and more.
The Museum focuses heavily on families and school groups. Several facilities are in place to welcome them and enhance their visit. Numerous exhibitions and attractions are presented in various formats and locations throughout the site. Visitors' curiosity is constantly piqued, and many artifacts, models, and historical images transport them through the ages.
A reminder of the rich history and proud past of these places, worth experiencing and even reliving on each visit to the Charlevoix region.
Musée Maritime de Charlevoix
museemaritime.com
305, rue de l’Église
Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive
(Les Éboulements)
Québec G0A 3Y0
418 635-1131