Métairie Saint-Joseph, Nicolet
The Beginnings
The Sisters of Charity of the Hôtel-Dieu of Nicolet, a sister congregation of Montréal, acquire in 1895 the farm of Charles McCaffey, becoming owners of four-hundred acres of land, several outbuildings and a maple grove of 1,400 trees. It is located some twenty acres from the Hôtel-Dieu of Nicolet itself. As the founders of the Congregation originally branched off from the Sisters of Charity of Saint-Hyacinthe, the farm was named Métairie Saint-Joseph in memory of the farm owned by the Sisters of Saint-Hyacinthe.
Chandler Manor, undated. Photography: author unknown. Grey Nuns of Montréal’s Archives, Métairie Saint-Joseph (Nicolet)’s Fonds, L054-I-Album 1
Métairie outbuildings, undated. Photography: author unknown. Grey Nuns of Montréal’s Archives, Métairie Saint-Joseph (Nicolet)’s Fonds, L054-I-1
Métairie Saint-Joseph, undated. Photography: author unknown. Grey Nuns of Montréal’s Archives, Métairie Saint-Joseph (Nicolet)’s Fonds, L054-Y2-D
Pierre Provencher, a farmer for the former landowner, is hired and continues to occupy a small house on the property along with his family. Able-bodied residents of the Hôtel-Dieu work alongside him in the fields. Thanks to persistence and endurance, the forest located ten acres from the house is gradually pushed back and more land is tilled. The farm becomes increasingly welcoming and Nuns, children and the elderly often visit to enjoy the fresh air and spend a “holiday in the countryside”.