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Manoir Fraser : a legacy that lives on

Colour photograph of a woman holding a small backboard with the words To me, the Manoir represents an affair of the heart, a story of gardening and working the soil. A large house with a mansard roof is in the background.

To Mrs Morency, the Manoir represents…

 

June 21, 1997, was the official opening day of Manoir Fraser. After so many years of hard work by volunteers and local partners, with supported from The Canadian Heritage of Quebec, the city of Rivière-du-Loup, and the Quebec Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the manor finally came to life again.

For the public, this June day marked the beginning of their discovery of the Fraser family’s history and its role in the town’s development.

Newspaper article with the headline The history of Rivière-du-Loup comes to life at Manoir Fraser and a photo of the partners involved in the restoration.

Newspaper article from June 1997 on the opening of Manoir Fraser to the public.

 

Today, a visit to the Manoir is a true voyage in time, a window to local history. The site brings back many memories for the descendants of the Frasers and for the citizens of Rivière-du-Loup who knew the family.

Colour photograph of a man sitting in a garden chair, holding a small blackboard on which he has written what the Manoir represents to him: A lovely, restful place, with a profusion of plants and birds. A red brick house is in the background.

Colour photograph of a man holding a small blackboard with the words: To me, the Manoir represents memories of youth. A little girl stands beside him, and a large brick house with a big veranda is behind him.

Colour photograph of a woman holding a small blackboard with the words To me, the Manoir represents the pleasure my mother used to have meeting Madame Lizotte every summer. A stairway leading to a veranda is in the background.

 

 

 

 

In the entrance hall, the bouquet of flowers on the table in the bay window is an evocative reminder of Alice Fraser’s annual arrival at the manor at the start of every summer.

Colour photograph of a group of some 20 schoolchildren standing among trees with a house in the background. Their teacher, in front, holds a blackboard with the words For us, the Manoir represents a beautiful voyage in time!

Marcella Dubé’s class.

 

The sound of children’s laughter heard in the manor of former days is echoed today by the chatter of visiting school groups. Summer after summer, Fraser descendants come to share memories of their lives at the manor with staff members and visitors.

Since it has been open to the public, the manor has enchanted visitors of all ages.

Watch the video and its transcription

 

Saving and restoring Manoir Fraser: a passionate pursuit! Credits and acknowledgments: