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Maine Acadian cultural survey collection, 1991

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Series 2: Sound recordings (continued)
Interview with Don Cyr, Lille, Maine, part 1-2, June 24, 1991 (continued)
Links
      Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a009
      Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a010
2 audiocassettes, 60 min.
RB-A009 - A010: Interview with Don Cyr.
Tape ID: AFC 1991/029: RB-A011 Lavertu family reunion and interview with James Lavertu and family, Lavertu Settlement, Maine, July 05, 1991
MBRS Shelflist number: RYN 4378
Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a011
1 audiocassette, 60 min.
RB-A011: Interview with James Lavertu and family.
Tape ID: AFC 1991/029: RB-A012 Interview with Mark Jalbert and Jerry White about the construction of a strip canoe, Frenchville, Maine, July 11, 1991
MBRS Shelflist number: RYN 4379
Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a012
1 audiocassette, 60 min.
RB-A012: Interview with Mark Jalbert and Jerry White.
Tape ID: AFC 1991/029: RB-A013 Le Tintamarre, Grande Riviere Festival, Van Buren, Maine, July 14, 1991
MBRS Shelflist number: RYN 4380
Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a013
1 audiocassette, 60 min.
RB-A013: Interviews conducted by David Whitman and Ray C. Brassieur at the Festival.
Tape IDs: AFC 1991/029: RB-A014 - A015 Saturday evening dance at the Forever Young Club, Madawaska, Maine, part 1-2, July 13, 1991
MBRS Shelflist number: RYN 4381 - RYN 4382
Links
      Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a014
      Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a015
2 audiocassettes, 60 min.
RB-A014: Cyrice Therien, Maurice Therien, Reno Guerette, Gerard LaGasse and Roland Lagast. A015: Cyrice Therien, Maurice Therien, Reno Guerette, Theodore Sirois and Gerard LaGasse.
Tape ID: AFC 1991/029: RB-A016 Interview with Frances Gendreau, Saint David, Maine, July 22, 1991
MBRS Shelflist number: RYN 4383
Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a016
1 audiocassette, 60 min.
RB-A016: Interview with Frances Gendreau and Julie Albert.
Tape ID: AFC 1991/029: RB-A017 Unidentified music recordings in French
MBRS Shelflist number: RYN 4384
Digital content available: afc1991029_rb_a017
1 audiocassette, 60 min.
Series 3: Graphic materials
The original materials are stored at Ft. Meade.
Photographic descriptions were taken directly from unedited log sheets.
Color slides
2380 color slides
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C001 Quay at Long Lake area, Maine, June 06, 1991 - June 08, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c001
20 35 mm color slides
These images document a trip to Long Lake, via State Highway 162; 1-2, Wheeled dock on Long Lake, known locally as a quay. found on all lakes in the study area; the wheels allow the dock to be removed from the water before winter, thus avoiding ice damage; 3-4, Fieldworkers Ray Brassieur and Lisa Ornstein examine the quay; 5, Brassieur and Ornstein talk with Jack Caron of Sinclair, ME, owner of the quay; 6-8, Man fishing from another quay on Long Lake, with pontoon-equipped aircraft moored nearby These images document the annual Fish River Canoe Race; 9-20, Scenes from the Fish River Canoe Race; these photographs were taken at Fish River Falls in Fort Kent, a portage for the racers.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C002 Fish River Canoe Race, near Fish River Falls, Fort Kent, Maine; Fort Kent Hotel, Fort Kent, Maine; Barn at Ethel Gagnon's property, Eagle Lake, Maine, June 08, 1991 - June 09, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c002
20 35 mm color slides
1-7, Scenes from annual Fish River Canoe Race, taken near Fish River Falls in Fort Kent, a portage for racers (frames #2 and 3 show the only racers who, to my knowledge, shot the falls); 8, Trophies awarded to contestants in the canoe race; 9-12, The Fort Kent Hotel on Main Street in downtown Fort Kent; it no longer operates as a hotel, but does have an operating restaurant (The Brass Lantern) and bar; one of two places in Fort Kent which regularly feature live music; 13-15, Fieldworker Ray Brassieur examines various pieces of a demolished barn in Eagle Lake, ME; the barn, which belonged to Ethel Gagnon (who lived in a house on the property), was estimated by her to be approximately 100 years old, and was partially constructed of hewn timbers and square-cut nails; 16-17, Brassieur talks to Ethel Gagnon at the back door of her house; 18, Outbuilding behind the Gagnon house, which she called the "tool shed;" many of the residences in the study area have one or more outbuildings, reflecting the agricultural base of the original settlement; 19, View of the Gagnon house from the rear; the addition which runs the length of the house is typical of the study area, and often results from the enclosure of what was once an outdoor "summer kitchen"; 20, Gagnon house and tool shed.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C003 Ethel Gagnon's house, Eagle Lake, Maine, June 09, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c003
20 35 mm color slides
1-2, Views of the Gagnon property from the rear; 3-8, Cemetery next to the Gagnon property, located on land donated by the Gagnon family; as in many parts of the country, there is widespread use of plastic flowers to decorate graves; 9-14, Scenes inside the home of Ethel Gagnon; liberal use of family pictures as a decorative element is found in the majority of homes in the study area; 15, Ethel Gagnon's desk; the presence of the Catholic pamphlet next to the budgetary calculations and the calculator hint at the importance of Catholicism in the study area; 16, Calendar featuring the Pope's picture; religious motifs often adorn the walls of houses; 17-18, Plate with wedding announcement and Biblical message; 19-20, Front view of Gagnon house from State Highway 11; the lateral addition (on the left side of the house) is one of the most common types found in the study area.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C004 Sam Oakes' home, Fort Kent, Maine, June 09, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c004
20 35 mm color slides
1-5, Maria Oakes7 collection of teapots, which she keeps on a shelf in her kitchen; 6, Yoke for a team of work animals; it is common to use agricultural artifacts as decorative elements; 7, Interior of Oakes' house, showing the geometric design loft railing Sam built; 8, Cabinet in the house; typically, a large number of family photographs are used to decorate; 9, John Connor of St. Francis, ME, a friend of the Oakes family; 10, Female family members prepare food for the family barbecue; 11-13, Fiddler Sam Oakes, one of the more accomplished musicians in the area; Sam plays both country and old-time music, expressing a preference for the old-time style but lamenting that there are few opportunities to play that part of his repertory outside of his home; 14-16, Sam's brother Merrill Oakes, a fine rhythm guitar player and reputedly an excellent five-string banjo player; 17, Maria's sister Rena Deprey, who videotaped some of the music; 18-19, Fieldworker Ray Brassieur talks with John Connor; 20, Painting done by Maria's mother, an amateur artist.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C005 Sam Oakes' home, interior and exterior, Fort Kent, Maine; Acadian Landing Site Memorial, near Madwaska, Maine, June 09, 1991 - June 10, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c005
20 35 mm color slides
1, Painting done by Maria Oakes mother, an amateur artist; 2, Message over the door to the Oakes house; the rameau (blessed palm), which in Catholic belief will protect a building from disaster, is found in a large percentage of houses in the study area; 3-4, Family pictures in the Oakes house; again, note the rameau; 5, Saddle-notched logs at the corners of the Oakes house, which occupant Sam Oakes built himself; this type of joinery does not seem to have been commonly used in older log houses in the area; 6, Exterior wall of Oakes house; 7, Family barbecue held in conjunction with music party; according to family members, such functions are held nearly every weekend during the summer; 8, Fieldworker Ray Brassieur talks with John Connor of St. Francis, ME; 9, One of the youngest attendees at the party; 10, Sam's brother Merrill Oakes; The following images document a visit to the cross which stands as a memorial at the site on the Saint John River where the first Acadian settlers in the upper Saint John Valley are said to have landed; 11, Fieldworkers Lisa Ornstein and Ray Brassieur read the memorial plaques in the company of Claude "Blackie" Cyr of Madawaska and Madawaska Chamber of Commerce Director Cathie Corey (far right); 12-17, Local historian Bernette Albert tells the history of the first Acadian families to settle in the upper Saint John River Valley; 18-19, White marble cross commemorating the landing site, erected by the Madawaska Historical Society; the marble cross replaced previous white wooden crosses; 20, Looking away from the river from the Landing Site Memorial; St. David Catholic Church is visible to the right of center.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C006 Albert house, Saint David Village, Madawaska, Maine, June 10, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c006
20 35 mm color slides
These images document a visit to the Acadian Landing Site and the Albert house, both of which are located on property owned by the Madawaska Historical Society in St. David Village in the town of Madawaska, ME; 1-2, Looking away from the Saint John River from the cross commemorating the Acadian Landing; the hedgerow to the right may have marked a property division of the original land grants of the late 18th century; 3, Front view of the Albert house, constructed about 1850, which has been moved to its present location by the Madawaska Historical Society; the house is a typical mid-to-late 18th century type; 4-5, Balustrade on the front porch, probably a later addition to the house; somewhat nautical in style; 6-8, Front door of Albert house; 9, Claude "Blackie" Cyr and Bernette Albert of the Madawaska Historical Society examine article inside the house with fieldworkers Ray Brassieur and Lisa Ornstein (far right); 10, Some of the furniture in the Albert house; 11, Cyr and Brassieur examine a typical Acadian cabinet; 12, Furniture and other artifacts, including a churn; 13-14, St. David Catholic Church as seen from the Albert house; 15, Front view of the Tante Blanche Museum, operated by the Madawaska Historical Society; 16, Sign at a small store in St. David Village; eshalots, a type of onion, are harvested, put up in jars with salt (and sometimes water) and sold throughout the St. John Valley; 17-20, Lawn statuary is very popular in the study area; religious statuary, such as that in frames #19-20, is especially popular.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C007 Herman Deprey and Darcy Deprey at their farm, New Canada, Maine; Paul Freeman's property, Wallagrass, Maine, June 12, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c007
20 35 mm color slides
These images document a visit with potato farmer Herman Deprey at his farm in New Canada, ME, and a visit to the home of retired potato farmer Paul Freeman in Wallagrass, ME; 1-3, Field coordinator Ray Brassieur talks with Herman in on of the barns located on Herman's farm; 4-5, Herman's son Darcey joins the conversation; 6, Door to the storage compartment for seed potatoes, which are particularly susceptible to contamination, hence the warning sign; 7-8, Potato barrels; Herman, like almost all farmers in the study area, has abandoned the use of barrels in harvesting his crop, but uses those he still has for storing other things (tools, trash, etc.); 9, Herman's grandson Danny riding his all-terrain vehicle. These ATVs are quite common in the study area, and are used for both pleasure riding and work; Danny sometimes helps out around the farm with his, hitching up a small trailer and clearing rocks out of the fields; 10, Newly planted potato fields on Herman's farm; 11, The Deprey farmstead; the house is occupied by Herman's father Mac and mother Blanche; 12, Barn on Paul Freeman's property on State Highway 11 in Wallagrass, ME; the long curve of this barn's roofline, which Freeman says he designed himself, is atypical; 13, Freeman's house and barn; 14-15, Freeman's house, probably built in the late nineteenth century; Freeman termed the construction madrier. which could mean either log or plank. The proportions and roofline of this house are quite typical of the study area, as is the outside cellar entrance. The small arch over the front door, while not common, is found on houses throughout the region; 16, Potato barrels in Freeman's barn; 17, Brassieur, Herman Deprey, Paul Freeman, and Freeman's daughter Angela talk in one of the doorways to the barn; 18, Doorway to the barn, with large tire chains on the ground in front; 19-20, Interior detail of the roof of Freeman's barn; while the absence of a ridgepole is typical, the continuous curve in which the rafters are sawn is not. Also unusual is the horizontal sandwich construction of the rafters.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C008 Paul Freeman barn, Wallagrass, Maine; Various structures and scenes, Fort Kent, Maine, and Daigle, Maine; Village Acadien, Van Buren, Maine, June 15, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c008
20 35 mm color slides
These images document the interior roof structure of Paul Freeman's barn on State Highway 11, Wallagrass, ME. Freeman designed the barn himself; 1, Roof supporting trusses, unusual in the length they run perpendicular to the rafters; 2-7, Various photos of rafters and supports; see MAP-DW-C007 for more information about rafters; 8, Basketball backboard and hoop on second floor of barn; These images are of various buildings in Fort Kent, ME; 9, Office of Eagle Oil in downtown Fort Kent. Eagles are a common decorative motif in the study area. The Daigle family was one of the original Acadian families to settle in the area, and Daigle remains one of the more common names (French d'aiale translates as of the eaglet. See #12-13 below; 10, The rear of some of the buildings on the south side of Main Street, downtown Fort Kent (taken by Ray Brassieur); 11, House near downtown Fort Kent (taken by Brassieur); 12-13, House with decorative eagles in the village of Daigle, ME. This house is next to the store of Conrad Daigle, who is the only person in the study area whom I heard say that there was a connection between such eagles and the name Daigle; 14-16, Grave markers in the cemetery in Daigle. Flowers and religious statuary are quite commonly used to decorate graves; 17, Looking toward the village of Daigle from the cemetery; These images document structures in the Village Acadien, which has a National Register of Historic Places designation as a collection of buildings, in Van Buren, ME. All of the buildings have been moved to the site; 18-19, The Roy house, an eighteenth century log house; this house was disassembled, moved to the Village Acadien, and reassembled. However, it appears that the reconstruction is not precise; the house was built using piece-sur-piece logs with dovetail joinery, and the dovetails may have been sawn off during disassembly; 20, The Morneault house, typical of mid-nineteenth century houses of the study area; not visible is a small addition of the far side of the house.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C009 Village Acadien, Van Buren, Maine; Gilbert Perrault at his home, Wallagrass, Maine, June 15, 1991 - June 16, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c009
20 35 mm color slides
These images document structures at the Village Acadien in Van Buren, ME; 1-2, Morneault house; small addition on the right side served as a post office at one point; 3, Back of Morneault house; 4-5, Ouellette house, also typical of nineteenth century construction; 6, Replica of nineteenth century log church, Notre Dame de 1 'Assumption; 7, Sirois house; this style, with the door in the gable end and a porch spanning the width of the house, seems less common than that of the Morneault and Ouellette houses; 8-9, Restored schoolhouse; 10, This small building was once a store and a barber shop; 11-12, Village Acadien; 13, Recently constructed museum/gallery; 14, Gift shop; 15-16, Field coordinator Ray Brassieur talks with Albert Michaud of Van Buren, who makes wooden birdhouses modelled after lighthouses; Michaud sells the birdhouses in the parking lot of the Village Acadien; These images document a visit to Roland Perrault at his home in Wallagrass, ME; 17-19, Restored tractor (vintage unknown) belonging to Perrault; 20, Brassieur talks to Perrault.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C010 Gilbert Perrault house and barn, Wallagrass, Maine, June 16, 1991 - June 17, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c010
20 35 mm color slides
These images document a house and barn on the property of Roland Perrault in Wallagrass, ME; 1, Mr. Perrault (left) and field coordinator Ray Brassieur (right) in front of Perrault's barn (identity of third person in center unknown); 2, View of Perrault's barn from the northwest corner. The form of this barn— relatively small, no side pens, and a simple gabled roof— was probably used in barns constructed early in the French settlement of the study area. However, the materials in this barn (e.g. millsawn lumber and round machine-made nails) mark it as an early twentieth (or possibly late nineteenth) century example; 3, View of the barn from the west side, towards the main road (State Highway 11); the small window near the peak of the roof would have been used for loading/unloading; 4, Sliding doors in the side of the barn through which equipment and livestock could be moved; there is also a set of doors in the opposite side, and arrangement common in the study area; 5-6, Sliding mechanism on barn door; each door had four small iron wheels, two per side, which rolled across the iron guide piece; 7, View of barn from the southeast corner. Note the use of shakes on the bottom half of this wall, which is on the side enclosing the livestock pen; the shakes were used here due to their superior insulating qualities; 8, The rear portion of the house, which is of late nineteenth century construction; the wide door was used for a carriage. This attachment of a garage of sorts directly to the house, using the same wall and roof lines, seems unusual; the garage was converted to part of the living space of the house during a renovation. The house is now owned by Mr. Perrault's daughter Phyllis, who uses it as a part-time residence. 9 View up the hill to the north toward Mr. Perrault's current residence; 10, Barn being re-shaked along State Highway 11 in Wallagrass, ME. The shape and gambrel roof of this barn are typical of the study area, but it is rare to find a barn sided entirely in shakes [The job was finished and this section was painted to match the rest of the barn just before we left the area in late July]; 11-16, An assortment of views from State Highway 11 in Wallagrass, ME; a good portion of the land now in forest was at one time agricultural; 17-19, Views of the Perrault house and barn from State Highway 11; the long, narrow shape of the house is atypical; 20, A twin barn in Frenchville, ME. Many variations of this type are found in the study area; see MAP-DW-C011 for more photographs and information.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C011 Twin barns, Frenchville, Maine; Hamlin; Twin barn, Hamlin, Maine; St-Basile Catholic Church, Saint-Basile, New Brunswick, June 17, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c011
20 35 mm color slides
These images document various structures observed while on a tour of the study area conducted by Julie Bayly and Patrick Ouellette; 1-4, A twin barn in Frenchville, ME. Several examples of this style, with its connected simple gable roofs, exist in the study area; however, it is unusual for such barns to have additions on two sides as this one does. Note the several wide doorways; this barn is still being used for equipment storage; 5-7, A twin barn in Hamlin, ME. Note the gambrel (locally termed colm-casse) roof, which, while common in barns of the study area, is found less frequently in twin barns than the simple gabled roof. It is currently not in use [This barn burnt to the ground in July, 1991]; 8-10, Looking down the St. John River from inside the Hamlin twin barn. The arched windows, used throughout this barn (see also slides 5-7, 11-12, and 14-15 on this page) are an unusual decorative feature; 11-12, Interior views of the Hamlin twin barn. This fairly large barn was divided into several compartments; note the three arched windows over the wide doorway, echoing those of the exterior wall; 13, Interior roof construction of Hamlin twin barn; this type of supporting truss structure, although more elaborate in this barn, is commonly used in the study area. Also typical is the absence of a ridgepole; 14-15, Side wall of Hamlin twin barn; this is the exterior of the wall through which slides 8-10 were taken. The front (left) part of the barn was separated by a wall from the rear, hence the side-by-side doorways; 16-18, The unoccupied house across the road (U.S. Highway 1) from the Hamlin twin barn. We presume, but do not know for certain, that the house and barn were (and may still be) part of the same property. The form of the house is not uncommon; its size and orientation, with the gabled side facing the road, suggest twentieth century construction; 19-20, The Catholic church and cemetery in St-Basile, New Brunswick. The white crosses toward the foreground represent the founding families, the first Acadian settlers of the study area.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C012 Various scenes, New Brunswick; Woven mat, Albert house; Geraldine Chasse and Ernie Chasse home, Saint David Village, Madawaska, Maine, June 17, 1991 - June 19, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c012
20 35 mm color slides
These images document various scenes in New Brunswick, Canada; 1, Entrance to the cemetery at the Catholic church in St. Basile; 2, Cemetery at St. Basile? the building in the background was used to store bodies in the winter, when the ground was too frozen to dig graves; 3, Three Feathers gift shop on the Malecite reserve in Iroquois, New Brunswick, just east of Edmunston. Note the totem pole, an artifact generally associated with peoples of the Pacific northwest; 4, IGA grocery store in Clair, New Brunswick. Much of the signage is in French; while the province of New Brunswick is officially bilingual, French is the primary language in the upper St. John River valley; 5-6, A type of convenience store called a depanner; these stores are distinct from others in that they open later in the day and stay open later at night than others. They are numerous on the New Brunswick side of the river; 7-8, Bi-lingual traffic sign along Highway 120 east of Clair; 9, Street sign in New Brunswick, the majority of which (at least in the upper St. John River valley) are in French; 10, School bus parked next to a home, presumably that of the driver, near Clair. New Brunswick has separate school systems for English and French speakers; this bus is used in the French system, which enrolls many more pupils than the English; 11, The hills of Maine as seen from New Brunswick; the hedgerows may mark property division lines of the earliest land grants, which were measured in arpent and laid out in the French long lot fashion; 12-13, A bilingual sign near Edmunston; 14, Sign on a plumber's place of business in Edmunston; business signs in this part of New Brunswick are generally either bilingual or French only, although a few English only signs can be found. The following images were taken in St. David Village, in the town of Madawaska, ME; 15-18, A woven mat, thought to be of Native American manufacture, which was purportedly found hidden in the walls of the Fred Albert house in St. David when it was moved to the property of the Madawaska historical society. The mat is currently kept in a glass display case in the Albert house; 19-20, The home of Geraldine and Ernie Chasse in St. David, ME. This fairly large house is of mid-nineteenth century log construction, and has been enlarged several times; the roof has been raised and the former summer kitchen enclosed. Twentieth century re-modeling includes the addition of a second floor over the former kitchen, the rearrangement of interior walls, and the brick facade.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C013 Geraldine Chasse and Ernie Chasse home, Saint David Village, Madawaska, Maine; Fort Kent Blockhouse, Fort Kent, Maine; Maison Daigle-St. Jean, Clair, New Brunswick, June 26, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c013
20 35 mm color slides
These images document the house of Geraldine and Ernie Chasse in St. David Village, town of Madawaska, ME; 1-3, Exterior of Chasse house; see MAP DW-C012 for more information about the house; 4, Fieldworker Howard Marshall takes a photo of Gerry and Ernie in front of their house; 5, View of St. David Catholic Church from Chasse house; 6, The Chasses' garden; These images document the Fort Kent Blockhouse; 7-8, Fort Kent Blockhouse, 1839 log blockhouse at the confluence of the Fish and St. John River, built by a Maine civil posse as a result of the Maine-New Burnswick boundary dispute; These images document the Maison Daigle-St-Jean in Clair, New Brunswick; 9-19, Exterior of the Maison Daigle-St-Jean, a restored midnineteenth century house; 20, Interior of the Maison Daigle-St-Jean; this type of ceiling was commonly used in Acadian houses. The blue woodwork above the molding appears to have been carved to resemble a rope.
Call number: AFC 1991/029: DW-C014 Maison Daigle-St-Jean, Clair, New Brunswick, June 26, 1991
Photographer: David A. Whitman
Digital content available: afc1991029_dw_c014
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