"Canadiana" is the story, brought to life in just a few hours, of what constituted daily life at the beginning of the century. It is also the result of more than twenty-five years of patient restoration work carried out by a couple passionate about Canadian heritage.

The creationof the Village

It all began in 1950 when Mr. and Mrs. Earle and Nora Moore purchased a 140-acre property in Rawdon. At that time, the property consisted solely of a farmhouse (built in 1867) that had belonged to one of Rawdon's pioneers, Mr. George Copping. To furnish the house in an antique style, the Moores began attending auctions and discovered a passion for antiques. They also noticed a staggering number of historical pieces being shipped to the United States, and the Moores began "saving these artifacts of our craftsmanship and history from export." Soon, they ran out of space to store the furniture and objects, and the opportunity to purchase their first historic building arose. Subsequently, whenever they learned that a historic building was about to be demolished, the Moores tried to acquire it at the best possible price.

 

A private collection that has become a museum village

Over time, through purchases and some donations, the Moores have assembled: a school (Logan School House, 1835), a general store (General Store, 1884), a blacksmith shop (The Amos Riddell's Blacksmith Shop, 1895), a covered bridge (Edward's Bridge, 1888), a rectory (1835), a church (St. John's Church in Kildare, 1849), the Westgate house (1830), a gristmill (Rowan's Mill or Grill Mist, 1867), a doctor's office, a notary's house, a veterinarian's house... Each of the buildings is furnished with period furniture.

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Gradually, donors and history enthusiasts began visiting the site, and word spread, thus the Canadiana museum village was born. Considered a major attraction in Quebec in the 1980s, the site was open to the public until 1996, welcoming nearly 30,000 visitors.

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A film studio for over 25 years

 

Since then, the site has been used exclusively as a filming location and has hosted over a hundred film productions, including several international productions featuring leading actors such as Richard Gere, Bruce Willis, and many others. More recently, the site served as the exterior filming location for the television series " Les Pays d'en Haut ." The site is well-known in the region and surrounding towns, and many Lanaudière residents are nostalgic for the Village Canadiana of their childhood.